A Fulfilling Nightmare
by WhizkidHV
Summary: Self-inserts. Love them. Hate'em. Reactions tend to be kinda mixed. Yeah... I definitely didn't think I'd ever write one. Turns out I didn't need to though. No, I just freakin' had to go and live one. Damned Fire Emblem Awakening... (Further explanation/summary inside)
1. Prologue

A/N: Self-insert fic I'm writing for fun. Likely ridiculous and probably heavily clichéd at many points. Don't take it too seriously, and feel free to poke fun at it. That's what it's here for. Well, that and because I recently learned that Robin was in the latest Smash Bros (I know, old news) which brought back many fond and painfully nostalgic memories of Fire Emblem Awakening, as well as Fire Emblem in general, thus requiring an outlet before I go crazy. Though it seems that I *have* gone crazy later on in this story... oh well.

'Sword of Origin', for those reading it, isn't being delayed. This is just something I'm writing in pieces during fifteen minute sessions to get in the writing groove before I write the latest scenes for that story, a way to prime my mind and warm up my writing skill. Considering how long it was already, I just decided to post it.

With that said...

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><p>Prologue: Wait, what the-<p>

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><p><em>Where am I? <em>

That was the first question on my mind when I opened my eyes.

_And why am I dressed like an RPG cosplayer?_

That was my second.

I got to my feet and looked around. A field of grass, stretching as far as the eye could see. Behind me, a vast ocean. Before me, a town in the distance as well as a trodden path.

Strangely enough, it was familiar, but not enough for me to put a name to it.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Well, this isn't how I imagined waking up on a Saturday morning..."

I was pretty sure I went to sleep in my bed, dressed in normal clothes, after having a normal day. I most certainly did not plan to wake up wearing a white silk shirt, matching pants, leather boots, and a heavy emerald travelling cloak. Neither did I expect to have a sword strapped to my waist.

A sword, which when I pulled it out and tested its edge, was most certainly not a replica or shoddy knock-off, but a genuine balanced piece of fine steel (figuratively speaking, considering the blade was tinted gold) with a decorative crimson guard and leather wrapped hilt. It was about two times the length of my arm, and double-edged. Its sheath or scabbard, whatever you want to call it, was simple black leather.

A thought hit me, and I was already dreading the truth behind my appearing here. "This better just be a dream and not a crazy sci-fi fantasy crap that leads to a crappy self-insert fanfic scenario."

Self-inserts were a fun thing to imagine, sometimes read, and sometimes write, but actually living one? Yeah... I'd pass on that. Besides, I had things to do and people to see back home, not wherever 'here' was.

I took another look around my surroundings to see if there was any hint of why I was here. Seeing nothing more than what I saw the first time, I checked my clothes. Nothing there either. Well, except a surprisingly light bag of gold coins.

I sighed again and started walking towards the town. Hopefully I could figure out more about where I was from the people there, or at the very least a place to stay for the night.

Xxx

When I arrived at the town, the first thing I noticed was the layout. A river coursed through the center of the town, splitting it into halves. A bridge connected the two, with a fountain at its center, and around that there were houses. But they weren't any of the houses I was used to. No, these were the kind you saw in RPGs and the like: brick houses with red roofs.

There was a market place on the half of the town opposite of the entrance I came in, which was the... east? I wasn't sure, but the sun was directly behind me, so it wasn't a bad guess.

People were milling about, dressed in some pretty simple clothing. Plain green blouses, tan shirts, pants, typical villager clothes.

Before I could ask a person about the town, a man waved and started walking towards me. He was balding, with scraggly brown hair, but had a calm smile on his face. It flickered for a bit when he saw the sword on my side, but quickly returned. "Greetings, traveler! Welcome to Southtown!"

I blinked. "Er... what?"

"You look a little lost. Where you from, sonny?"

I blinked again at the sudden shift to a familiar tone the man took, but shook it off. "Ah, I'm from... out of town. In fact, I'm not too sure how I got here."

The man nodded, a frown on his face as he mulled over my words. "I see... foreign, eh? Not surprised, with how you look. You from Valm by any chance?"

A simple question. Pretty casual one at that. Just some getting to know you stuff. He probably wasn't expecting much of a response, but it was more of a courtesy than anything.

Even so, that simple question made me freeze.

Valm. There was only one place I knew with that name... or rather one _game_ I knew with a place named Valm.

_Dammit. Of all the games, Fire Emblem Awakening? Where people can die left and right with a simple mistake?_

Well, at least I wasn't the Avatar. I hoped so, anyway. I might have beat the game, but I highly doubted my ability to strategize and level grind would help me keep people alive. Especially since the game gave you a bird's eye view of the terrain as well as really useful statistics. Information I definitely did not have at the moment.

"Sonny? You alright there?"

I blinked, focusing back on the present and not on my thoughts. I was talking to someone. Right.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The man narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Of course you are, sonny. Of course you are."

"So. Where's the nearest inn?"

Suspicion was clear in the man's face, but he pointed it out to me. "Right 'cross the bridge there. Name's River Runner."

I gave him a quick thank you and started walking away.

I needed to think.

Xxx

The inn was in front of the marketplace, and surprisingly modern. A definite misnomer from what I had in my mind. There was even running water, which was a huge relief when I realized that I hadn't even thought about it until then.

I flopped onto the bed in my room for the night, a few gold pieces poorer, and stared at the wooden ceiling.

Ylisse. That was where I was at the moment. And the town I was in... Southtown... that was where the game began.

Considering the fact that I had yet to meet Chrom, Frederick, or Liz, I wasn't the Avatar. I think.

The sword digging into my side reminded me that I should decide on what to do next, and pretty soon. This town was set to be raided by bandits any moment now, after all, and unless I wanted to die a horrible death I was going to have to cause someone else's horrible death.

_...Yeah. Let's... not think about that right now. I'm not too sure I want to find out how I'd react in a situation like that. _

Anyway, planning.

I hadn't played Awakening in a long, long time. When did it come out again... the winter of last year? This year? My memories were definitely fuzzy on it.

Actually, it was probably better that way. This wasn't a game or a fanfic after all (even if this is looking more and more like a crappy self-insert) but real life. These weren't characters I would be meeting, but real people.

They were definitely better off without me in the mix. Especially since I didn't know whether I was in the future past timeline or the actual playable game timeline.

That reminded me. The other world gate, where all the DLC stuff was. I could probably get back home if I went there... maybe. Hopefully?

Either way, I had to decide. I knew for a fact that the moment I got involved with the characters would be the moment I'd give up on finding a way home. Even if they didn't know who I was, I had spent countless days, weeks, even months getting to know them. They were my best friends I had never met, and I couldn't just leave them here to an uncertain future.

I got out of the bed.

The room I was in didn't have much in it. A bathroom to the side, with the usual facilities, and a window opposite the bed. The door leading outside was on the wall opposite the bathroom.

I walked over to the window, looking up at the blue sky I could see from it, and mulled over my future.

To leave, or to stay?

I wasn't a fighter. A warrior like the people of this land.

Sure, I did some training here and then with my swords, mostly trying to recreate sword skills from SAO and other anime for exercise and general fun, but fighting other people? No, killing other people?

...I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to whether I could do that or not.

I was a writer. A student. A programmer. My skillset might intersect a bit with this world with the various hobbies I took up, but I'm not sure I can survive here. Not without serious adjustments at least, and I'm not sure I want to adjust.

Hell, I still need to write the latest chapter in my Fate/Familiar of Zero cross!

I let out a groan and pressed my head against the window-

"Well... crap."

-only to see a group of men set fire to the church, then quickly disperse into the town, wreaking havoc. And not long after that, a familiar great knight, blue-haired lord, blonde cleric, and tactician appeared on the south side of the marketplace.

...I should have stayed inside. I really should have just let them be, knowing all too well that they could handle it.

I knew that, and yet I found myself suddenly running out the door of the inn, ignoring the concerned innkeeper, with my blade drawn.

The closest raider was a muscular swordsman with a large and rusty iron blade. Brown hair and a not too memorable face.

_Oh crap. Crap. Crapcrapcrap._

He saw me run out and turned to meet me, his blade held in a firm, two-handed stance.

I was going to die. Yeah... stupid idea. Very stupid idea to charge headfirst into a life or death situation where the other guy has no qualms about killing you, who has no qualms about killing in general.

My sword was in my right hand. I was running with it trailing behind me, left hand by my side. It was painfully obvious what I was going to do.

I knew it, and the swordsman knew it too.

Even so, I was already too committed to this course of action. What was that Bleach quote...? Abandon your fear? Move forward and don't stop? No... you'll die if you hesitate.

Since I had already shown my hand, there was nothing left to do but play it.

The moment I stepped into range, the swordsman swung his sword at my foolishly unprotected head. An amateur mistake on my end.

A flash of adrenaline. The moment before I was going to be cut in half, I managed to bring my sword up and parry it. Well... at least try to parry it.

They made it look so easy in anime and games. I knew the theory well, that you meet the tip of your opponent's sword with the base of your own due to more leverage, and had practiced the maneuver at least a thousand times. Even so, the blow was _heavy, _and I only narrowly avoided killing myself when my sword went arcing back towards me from the rebound by bringing my entire right arm across my shoulder, like I was getting ready to perform a powerful diagonal slash.

The rusted iron sword glanced to the side, but the man was already stepping back to bring it across in a heavy horizontal slash.

Panic. I didn't know what to do.

Fear. I was afraid to get cut by the blade. Afraid of messing up and dying. Of killing.

I almost froze up.

But to hesitate was to die.

The man started his attack, tensing his powerful muscles in preparation of cutting me in two.

"Robin! Over there!"

I heard Chrom's voice call out. Surprisingly, he sounded nothing like the voice actor.

But that was something I noted in the back of my mind, a subconscious observation.

...They say you find out who you truly are when faced with a life or death situation. That a brush with death could change a person. That a death could reveal hidden depths in one's personality, their potential.

On that day, I received a grim reminder. A reminder that I was denying a part of myself. A reminder that, in times of high stress and anger, I had to force myself not to react.

A reminder that I was very much a violent person, and one who had to consciously not use the knowledge he had in anger so that he wouldn't hurt anyone.

A side-kick to the man's knee. A sickening crack.

I brought my leg to the ground and then jumped back.

A blade swung through empty air, the man's desperate attack.

My sword was lowered, from behind my head to behind my waist. I shifted my stance, leaning forward. Quick draw.

The man struggled to regain his balance, but his attack over-reached. Vulnerable.

A _squelch_ and spastic breaths from a dying man.

A chilling sensation, travelling from my blade to my body, calming my frayed nerves.

...Ah. That was what this sword was.

The blade that could steal an enemy's life force for your own. A cursed sword of golden light, the Runesword.

"Well that's the end of that. Nicely done."

A person standing in front of me. Silver hair. Calm, charismatic voice. Clothes similar to mine, and yet different.

I looked at the corpse on the ground, surprisingly undisturbed by its appearance, and then back to the one waiting my response.

"Not as easily as you could have done it, Robin."

I could see the way my words affected him, and knew that it would change everything. A careless mistake, one that would no doubt have serious repercussions in the future.

Frankly, I didn't care.

"So you got to him in time. Looks like he didn't need your help though."

Robin's reply never came, as we were interrupted by Chrom, walking towards us with Liz and Frederick behind him. The battle was already over.

"I was worried," he said. "Freezing up like that... you haven't seen too many battles have you, friend?"

Kind and concerned. Sympathetic?

I didn't say anything in reply, only giving a non-committal shrug.

Chrom laughed, not bothered by it at all. "Not much of a talker, are you? Well, that's alright. Looks like you aren't part of the bandits at least."

"It seems so, milord."

Frederick brought his horse around and then turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed.

"And Robin appears to be no helpless victim either. Perhaps an explanation is in order?"

The conversation from that part was the same as what I could remember from playing the game, so I tuned it out, turning my attention inwards.

...It was weird. I had killed someone, and I wasn't bothered by it. No, if anything I was upset that I wasn't able to react faster and end his life in one blow.

Something was seriously wrong with me.

Was it because of what happened to send me here? Did I get 'damaged' along the way to make me like this? Or was it perhaps a way to 'acclimatize' me to this world, again caused by however I got here.

...I didn't like it. This didn't feel like me anymore. If anything, it felt like how 'the Sword' might react-

"And what of you?"

Chrom's sudden words drew me back to the present.

I blinked and realized that Robin, Frederick, and Liz were staring at me.

"...I'm sorry?"

"Ah. How rude of me."

Chrom misinterpreted my words and gave me a short bow. "I should have introduced us before asking you to join the Shepards. Well." He straightened and gave me a smile. "I'm Chrom. That brusque knight over there is Frederick..."

Said knight gave a brief grunt, his narrowed eyes never shifting from their gaze on me.

"...the delicate blonde girl over there is my sister Lissa-"

_Oh, I remembered her name wrong._

"-I'm not delicate!"

"-and that's Robin. Now, what's your name?"

I blinked. My name? Ah, what was my name?

...I couldn't remember. I knew that I knew what it was, but when I thought about it, the name eluded me. Like something I couldn't access, yet knew existed.

At that point, it didn't even matter anymore. This was probably all just a crazy dream, so I decided that I might as well play the role that would suit this situation the best.

"Mark. My name is Mark."

A few years later, I would regret not having gone back to sleep when I first woke up on that grassy field.


	2. Unwelcome Changes

Chapter 1: Unwelcome Changes

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><p>We were walking in a forest. From what I could remember, this was about where the next chapter would start.<p>

Robin and Chrom were talking together out in front. It seemed like Robin was curious about why Chrom bothered to pick him up when the lord found him unconscious out in the fields.

Frederick was scouting ahead, ever the dutiful knight. Which left me in the back with Lissa.

"So... Mark, right?"

Lissa clasped her hands behind her back and leaned towards me, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Where did you learn to fight like that? And where are you from? I mean, you don't look like you're from around here. And that sword is really different from the ones here in Ylisse."

It turned out that Lissa really like to talk. Not that I minded, but she didn't seem to have the concept of personal space or tact... then again, as a princess (or was it just royalty?) she probably didn't need it.

I let out a breath, focusing on the present and not my thoughts. A technique I learned to calm my naturally chaotic mind.

"Well, I'm from a place really far from here. So far that it's practically out of this world."

And there I was resorting to half-truths already... this was really starting to irritate me. I knew what I meant to say was that I came from another world, not try to hide it. Was this a balancing factor? Were the forces that be trying to maintain the balance by preventing me from giving knowledge that would distort the timeline too much? But then why did they let me say that I knew Robin?

Lissa blinked and tilted her head. "Huh? So... you're from like Valm? Across the seas?"

"Something like that," I muttered.

I didn't know why I was here, or how I got here. That was troubling enough. But now it seemed that my very personality was being taken over, that my very actions were being taken out of my control.

What the hell?

...Was there someone out there, some divine being or person behind a screen directing my actions? I didn't really believe in things like that, but considering that I was in a place I had thought for a fact was fiction...

No. I couldn't think like that. Those thoughts led to insanity, and a complete mental breakdown. Considering how fine the line was already for me, I would rather stay on the side that left me at least capable of function.

A sudden view of golden curls. Lissa had stepped in front of me, her face hovering just before mine.

My breath stopped.

There it was, another reminder that this wasn't a game. I hadn't really noticed it, but she was strikingly beautiful. No, that word didn't cover it. I had seen and met attractive women in my time, but Lissa was something else. It was the kind of beauty you only really read about, a type of radiance that royalty were supposed to convey, and yet didn't in reality.

It wasn't surprising. Her appearance in game was already 'cute'. Translated to reality, it was heart-stopping.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten, clearing my mind. If this was how every other female character was going to be, I had better prepare myself.

...Maybe it wasn't such a good idea going along with this. Screw dying in combat, I'd likely die of a heart-attack from heart-stopping beauty.

"Mark? What's wrong?"

I opened my eyes, now prepared for Lissa's appearance. She was still beautiful, but my heart didn't seem to want to break from looking at her anymore.

A good thing, since I could absolutely refused to ship myself with any of the characters. I mean, sure I cared for them and there were more than a few of the ladies that I wouldn't mind getting to know better but-

_I am not going along with your plans, man behind the screen!_

Another breath. Lissa was concerned, and the others had already gone ahead.

Breathe.

I gave her a smile. "I'm fine, Lissa. I just wasn't expecting you to be so close."

She blinked, and then realized what she was doing. "O-oh! Sorry about that..."

She leaned back and looked to the ground, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Chrom keeps scolding me about that, but I keep forgetting. Sorry..."

Breathe. It wasn't like she planned to be so adorable. And besides, we were getting left behind.

"Don't worry about it."

It was surprisingly easy to shift into an aloof persona. The benefits of being a writer, perhaps? I was already used to writing similar characters, so maybe adopting their personalities for myself was a natural extension of that.

Still didn't mean I liked doing it.

"Come on. We should catch up."

I purposefully stepped around Lissa and started marching towards the others.

"Right!"

Like a switch had been flipped, Lissa was cheerful again and by my side, all traces of her earlier abashed look gone.

_...Wait. Was that my first support conversation? It was, wasn't it?_

I took a quick glance at Lissa again, and saw that she seemed a bit more cheerful than I had thought.

_...Yeah. I'm going to kill the person who sent me here._

xxx

Night fell, and we set up camp. Frederick had managed to hunt a bear and roast it, just like he did in the game, and we were all gathered around a fire, eating. Well, all of us except for Frederick and Lissa.

"...Ew." The blonde princess (or whatever her title was) scrunched up her nose in disgust at the strip of meat. "Why couldn't you hunt us a normal animal for once, Frederick? This smells like... boots. Dirty, icky, boots."

Frederick closed his eyes and gave her a small smile. "Milady, you should eat. Even if it's unpleasant, the experience good for you."

Lissa shot a glare at Frederick. "I don't see you eating it!"

I sighed, ignoring the severe sense of nostalgia from listening to their conversation, and then took a bite of my own bear meat.

It wasn't that bad. A little chewy, but it was fine, otherwise.

Then again, I wasn't that much of a picky eater.

As I ate, I thought about my future here.

So far, it looked like events would follow the canon timeline. There hadn't been any changes to the story so far, though it was still too early to tell.

And wasn't that surreal? I knew the future for this world. What could happen, what would happen.

Emmeryn's death. The war against Valhart and his army. Grima's revival.

...No. At best, I had vague images and impressions. It had just been too long since I played Awakening for me to remember the timeline. If I tried to change things, the only likely outcome was causing something worse to happen.

Like the game, I had to take things turn by turn.

To begin with, I had ended up in Ylisse through mysterious circumstances. All I could remember was going to sleep after doing some writing on my latest fanfiction. The next thing I knew, I was alone on the grassy fields where the game started, dressed like a tactician and armed with a Runesword.

Next, something was seriously wrong with me. It seemed that certain aspects of my personalities were... amplified for a lack of a better word. That was the only explanation I had for what I did to that swordsman. Ruthless and unforgiving. For some reason, I was much more steely now than I knew I was, not even giving a single thought to a man I had murdered in cold blood.

Considering that I was still hung up on someone I was only acquainted with back in high school committing suicide, the fact that I didn't give a damn for someone whose life I had taken with my own two hands was extremely disturbing.

And then there was the fact that it seemed that I was unable to divulge my true identity as a person from another world. Though that didn't seem to stop me from identifying Robin when I met him. That conversation would definitely be interesting.

I shook my head and looked over at the people I would be travelling with for the foreseeable future.

They were good people. Authentic in a way that those I met back in 'reality' weren't.

Chrom was sincerely kind and compassionate. Though you could call him naive, he was just a caring person, fair and noble like a Lord was supposed to be.

Frederick still seemed to suspect me and Robin of being a threat to Ylisse, but that was expected. He was a knight, loyal to Chrom and Lissa, and didn't want to see either of them hurt. Something that me and Robin could very well have set out to do, if we weren't who we were.

Lissa... she was bubbly, but adorable for it. She had caught me off guard earlier, but after getting over her appearance, I couldn't help but feel protective of the blonde. So innocent and charming... though it wouldn't last long after the events to come.

And then there was Robin. The enigmatic and amnesiac tactician who was fated to become Grima's avatar- come to think about it, his amnesia was caused by Grima coming back to the past, right? Since he didn't have his memories, it looked like I had arrived during the game timeline and not the future past or the one where Lucina came from.

Anyway, the tactician was an overall nice guy. Calm, thoughtful. He got along well with the others and wasn't rude or intrusive. Even though his past was missing, he seemed to not dwell on it, living more in the moment and for the future.

"You're looking thoughtful there, Mark. What are you thinking?"

Chrom's voice drew me out of my thoughts.

The lord had taken a seat by my side when I wasn't paying attention.

"Ah, just reflecting on the past."

The 'past' being their future I left out.

Chrom nodded, and leaned back, having finished his bear meat. "I see."

He was quiet for a bit, probably waiting for me to elaborate. When I didn't, he continued talking. "If you don't mind me asking, Mark, where are you from? It's not often that we get travelers so far south, especially one as foreign in appearance as yourself."

There it was again with the 'foreigner' remark. Did I really look that-

Oh. Right. Considering I was Asian, I would definitely stand out in contrast to the citizens of Ylisse, who looked to be more European in appearance.

I was surprised I forgot about that, but it was never a big deal back home, so it must have slipped my mind.

"Oh, Mark's from far away!" Lissa chimed in, apparently finding our conversation more interesting than her piece of bear meat. "Like_, really _far away. He told me, earlier."

"Is that so, milady?"

Again, Frederick's scrutiny was turned on me. "And what else did this... Mark... tell you?"

She stuck her tongue out at the knight. "That's a secret!"

"Milady, I insist that-"

"Frederick. Enough."

Chrom sent a glare to the knight, nothing too serious, but enough to stop Frederick's protests.

He turned back to me and sighed. "Sorry about that. Frederick's just being cautious."

"Someone has to be around here, milord."

Another glare from Chrom, and the knight excused himself, having said his piece.

"Anyway, you're from faraway, you say? So are you from Valm then, the land over the seas?"

I set down the piece of meat I had, no longer interested in eating it. "Not really. I don't think you'd have heard of where I was from. I haven't seen it on any maps around here."

_Lies._

Again, evading the truth.

"Hm... interesting. Why did you come so far away from home then? There's not much to do down in Southtown other than take long naps on the plains."

The last bit was added with a slight smirk.

Robin frowned at the jab. "Hey!"

Chrom smiled. "I kid, I kid. I'm sure you had your reasons, Robin."

The light-hearted humor was definitely different from the game. Even more of a reminder that this was _real_ and not the same as the strategy game I had played so long ago.

"But truly, Mark. Why were you so far south? If you're a traveler, I would have thought Ylisstol, the capital, would be more of interest."

"Ah, I am interested in seeing Ylisstol."

It would be fun to see the place with my own eyes rather than an artist's rendition of it.

"But Southtown is where I found myself to be, so it's where I was when I met you four."

There was a lull in the conversation, and then Robin said, "Mark. I've been meaning to ask you something."

_Hm? What could he possibly- oh. Right._

"When we first met, you responded to me by my name before I introduced myself. Do you... know who I am?"

The last words were almost pleading.

I sighed. This wasn't how I expected things to go, but now that it had come up. "I do- don't. You just reminded me of someone I once knew, so I called you by his name. Sorry for giving you false hope. "

_What the-_

There it was again. That change from my thoughts to my words.

Robin's face fell. "Oh. No, it's okay. I just thought that maybe-"

"No. Wait. I-"

I ground my teeth, forcing my mouth to shape the words. "Know... who... you... are...!"

Pain. Pain, pain, painpainpain!

A searing sensation in my mind, a burning turning my thoughts to black, to white, to punish me for doing the forbidden.

And then it stopped, with a haunting feminine voice echoing through my mind.

_You shouldn't have done that, Outrealmer._

"Mark!"

Lissa's concerned voice. She had gotten up and made her way towards me, healing staff in hand.

Robin, on the other hand, was stunned, and then horrified. "A curse...! No, Mark. Don't say anything else!"

_A curse, huh? Well screw you, powers that be! I won't let you use me as a puppet!_

I was a writer, damn it, and I would tell the truth! I refused to bow to another person's plot while I still lived. This was my story!

"By the gods! Mark! You're bleeding!"

I blinked, realizing my vision had gone red. But I knew that I couldn't stop now. To refuse to continue would be giving up, allowing the power or deity responsible for me being here to do with me as they wished.

"...Strategist. Master... tactician! Robin, you're-"

_Fine. If you wish to upset the balance so much, then so be it. They will no longer have my aid, Outlander. The Awakening, Grima's revival... I will not provide the power to-_

_Oh, shut up you old dragon._

A new voice. This one male and... familiar?

The feminine voice I knew now to be Naga, the divine dragon. But the latter... it wasn't Grima, so-

_He'll do fine without you. I'm sure 'Mark' will be worthy of my name before long. _

"Lissa, heal him already!"

"I'm trying, Robin, but it's not working! Whatever's going on-"

_You... so a Historian has taken interest in this world. I see... very well. I shall no longer interfere in your actions, Outlander. But be warned that the sole responsibility-_

_Yeah, yeah. I'm sure the guy gets it. He's had plenty of experience with that sort of thing, after all. Writers always do._

I could hear a huff of sorts, and then the sound of... cracking glass?

_And there she goes. Good luck, 'Mark'. I'm sure that a wizard like you can figure things out. _

I blinked, seeing the others gathered around me. They all looked worried. Even Frederick.

"Oh thank the gods!" Lissa wrapped me in a tight hug. "You're alright!"

"Er... yeah."

I wasn't sure what just happened though. Naga intervening, another voice chiming in, and then... entrusting me with the fate of this world? Did I just get suckered into being a guardian of balance?

Scratch that, did I just get into an argument with the forces that be on the first day of getting here? And did I win?

Lissa leaned back and I realized that I had fallen to the ground at some point.

Yeah, I was really hitting all the clichés of typical self-inserts, wasn't I?

No, there was still a chance to salvage this. I just had to play it off cool-

"Just what in the Fell Dragon's name did you think you were doing, Mark?!"

In the face of a furious Robin, the same Robin who I had never seen act in such a wrathful manner, that decision evaporated.

"You were bound! Extremely powerful magic, both divine and dark, were compelling you not to speak any further. What were you thinking?!"

I stood up, ignoring the looks that the others were giving me, and cleared my throat. Well, tried to. I didn't expect the small bloody coughing attack that followed.

"Well," I managed to say after a while. "I was thinking about telling you how I knew you. It seems that some of the powers that be didn't like that though."

I paused, waiting for my will to be subverted like it had been earlier.

Nothing.

_Well crap._

It looks like they hadn't been kidding about me getting sole responsibility for the future.

Chrom frowned. "The powers that be... do you mean Naga? But why would the Divine Dragon want you to-"

I coughed, distracting them from that line of thought. I wasn't quite ready yet to explain that I was from another world, even if I could now.

_I probably should have thought that through more, in hindsight..._

Pride had gotten me what I wanted, but knowledge was a double-edged blade, and the application of it even more so.

"Can we talk about this some other time? I'm feeling pretty exhausted after that."

That had the four almost tripping over themselves to get me settled in for the night. Well, three. Frederick just oversaw it.

And seeing that, I had a sudden startling and heart-stopping realization:

The world was starting to revolve around me, like some crappy Mary Sue. Or Gary Stu in this case.

_No! I refuse to let that happen!_

I would not be degraded into another crappy self-insert! I was a person, and not some idealized, wish-fulfilling delusion!

But then my world turned black, exhaustion from arguing with a Divine Being sinking in at last.

xxx

When I woke up, the world was ablaze.

"Mark, wake- oh. You're up."

Robin was standing there, bronze sword drawn in his right hand and lightning tome in his left.

I staggered to my feet and then drew my own blade. "What's going on?"

I looked around. "Where's everyone else?"

Confused. The dregs of sleep were still hanging heavy on my mind, and everything seemed to be too bright, too fast.

"Chrom and Lissa are missing. Frederick went ahead on his horse to find them."

Missing? Frederick going to find them...

_Oh no._

I looked to the black sky, just in time to see an azure portal tear it apart.

I remembered the animated sequence from the game being creepy. After all, they were a bunch of reanimated corpses emerging from what looked to be a giant eye.

That was nothing compared to the reality.

It wasn't the only eye. Shortly after it opened, a dozen, a hundred, a countless number lit up the night sky with an unnatural electric blue light, tingeing everything with its otherworldly color.

From those, the Risen fell, a veritable army of undead pouring all over the continent.

_No wonder they never seem to disappear after you kill them._

With how many were appearing, it was a miracle that the Shepards weren't overwhelmed when they traveled from city to city.

"By the gods... Mark! We have to run. Now!"

Robin broke off in a dead sprint, probably in the direction that Frederick had gone.

I didn't need any further prompting and quickly gave chase.

As we ran through the forest, I could only give thanks to my past self for being obsessed with getting in shape after watching 'American Ninja Warrior'. It was only because of that training I did afterwards that I was still in fighting shape when we arrived at the clearing where Chrom and Lissa were.

Of course, Murphy's law would have it that we get attacked just when we arrived.

Robin jumped back, just as a tomahawk cut into the space in front of him. "Ambush!"

He spun, runes spiraling around his right hand as he chanted a spell. Crackling electricity shot out, seeking the one who had attacked.

The undead warrior was felled, but the sight of the magic spell attracted more to take its place.

There was the shuffling of leaves and sound of broken twigs from behind me. I turned and nearly froze.

_This isn't anything like the game..._

A half dozen Risen. Three axemen and three swordsmen.

"Crap."

Surprisingly, the one who spoke wasn't me.

I took a quick glance back, following Robin's gaze, only to see Chrom and Frederick on the verge of being overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Lissa had been left unprotected. A fact that the Risen did not let lie unnoticed.

One of the Risen managed to slip past Chrom and Frederick. It was just an axeman, slow and cumbersome, but Lissa couldn't defend herself.

"Mark. Can you hold your ground?"

A serious question. One that required complete honesty from my part. One that I had to answer right then and there.

-There weren't many options.

If Robin stayed here with me, that meant Lissa would die unless Chrom or Frederick disengaged to attack the advancing Risen. But that would leave the other alone to face a half dozen undead, meaning either Chrom or Frederick would die.

If Robin left to go save Lissa, I would be left alone to face a half dozen undead.

If we both left, we could probably save Lissa and help Chrom and Frederick, but we would also be increasing the number of enemies.

If I stayed by myself, Robin could go save Lissa. But in that case, I would be left alone to face a half dozen undead, odds I sincerely doubted I'd survive against.

But out of every possibility, there was only one I could ever agree with.

I turned back towards the Risen.

"Go, now!"

To hesitate was to die. In this case, it wouldn't be just me who would be killed if I faltered.

I didn't know why I was here, why I was chosen of all people to be sent to Ylisse. But in the end, that didn't matter.

Though the powers that be had done some meddling in my life and my personality, there was one thing that never changed.

No matter what, I would not let my friends die. And though I had only gotten to know these people face to face for a short day, I already knew that I would give anything to ensure their safety.

_Damn. Me and my stupid hero complex..._

"I'll be right back! Don't die!"

With those short words, I heard Robin run off, leaving me alone to deal with the advancing Risen.

Seeing the six undead spread out before me, I only had one thing to say.

"Please don't be lunatic plus mode..."

An inhuman roar filled the air, and then they were upon me.

xxx

_Thank god for dark magic._

That was the only thought in my mind as I launched a desperate attack against the Risen.

Again, I cursed my stupid hero complex for choosing this course of action. It was unnecessary, utterly stupid, and insanely, suicidally, reckless.

To begin with, I was sorely outmatched. As if the world itself was against me (which it probably was in hindsight), the Risen were insanely powerful and _fast_.

My plea for them not to be Lunatic plus enemies went unanswered, as I clearly recognized skills like Luna+ and Vantage+ going off. Blades shining blue, attacking before I could even think of a counter. Yeah, things weren't going well.

My only saving grace was the Runesword that had been graciously supplied to me on my arrival in this world.

It was impossible for me to match them head on, so I used my inferiority as a weapon. It was a sound theory... at least I thought so at the time. I had thought that, since Shirou could use that tactic to fight Servants, who were far, far beyond and normal human's ability to fight, I could apply it in some manner here to make sure I didn't die.

The main problem was that I didn't have two swords. That, and I couldn't use reinforcement magic.

Unlike Shirou, and Archer, who had perfected the technique, I had neither the experience nor the lack of self-importance they had to use it effectively. Whereas they could calmly and methodically control and direct the flow of battle by allowing fake lethal openings that their opponent could not help but attack, I was forced to leave actual lethal openings to just survive.

Pain. My mind had already gone numb from the number of times my body had been torn apart and forced back together.

The Risen were relentless killing machines. Methodical, and efficient, they ruthlessly attacked my openings.

A spear through my side. An axe to my chest. Cuts, bruises, and gaping wounds littered my body as they continued their onslaught.

They paid for my blood with their own, as I countered each with my own attacks, strikes they could not evade due to their close proximity.

Unlike Shirou's style, which could be called recklessly suicidal, mine could literally be called suicidal. Hell, the only thing that kept me alive was the Runesword and my body's automatic response to any attack by striking with one of its own.

It was pathetic, painful to use, and probably heart-wrenching to watch. But that was the only thing I could do right now, the only thing I had going for me. Since I was worthless in combat, I had to use my inferiority as a weapon, offer myself as bait in battle and use that to slaughter the enemy.

In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that the Runesword's healing seemed to act as a sort of calming agent, otherwise I would have been driven insane from pain. In fact, I probably already had been driven insane from the pain.

I didn't know how long it took, but eventually the Risen stopped appearing. Unlike how I envisioned the battle to go, more reinforcements kept appearing, and I was forced to persevere against a horde of undead.

Unfortunately, there hadn't been enough life force, or HP as it probably was in game, to fully heal me after the last one died.

I was bleeding all over. After this, I would be more scarred than a decorated war-veteran. Even so, I was alive.

I couldn't help the smirk that crept onto my face. "I guess some people just don't die when they're killed, do they?"

I turned back to where Robin had first run off to, only to see no one there.

"Just my luck..."

I must have used it all up for all the 'Miracles' I kept triggering.

With a sigh, I dragged my wound-riddled body towards the clearing anyway. Robin did say he would be right back, so they'd probably return to it to get me.

The sound of rustling leaves.

My instincts, already on high alert from the countless brushes with death I had in the past... however long it had been, sent me spinning toward the source of the sound, my blade already in mid-swing before I identified who, or what, had caused it.

The sound of clashing steel, and the feeling of my attack getting parried.

I was already moving, my wounded body shifting into a stance that would let me counter a follow up attack from my opponent.

It never came.

"...Uncle Mark... but you-?"

I blinked. That wasn't the sound of an undead warrior.

It was a swordsman, dressed in a blue tunic, leggings, and boots. A cape wrapped around his neck, and a mask obscured his face. Blue hair, gold tiara, and a sword that looked an awful lot like the one Chrom had-

"...Lu-"

"It seems all the creatures are vanquished, milord."

Frederick's appearance made me hold my tongue. Free to speak or not, letting Lucina's presence be known ahead of time was definitely not a good idea.

...Though I'm curious why she called me uncle.

"It seems so. That swordsman must have taken care of the others... but where's Mark, Robin? I thought you said he was back at the clearing?"

Chrom's voice.

After that, the others burst into the clearing, followed by Sully and Virion.

_Oh. This was around the time when they joined, wasn't it?_

A high-pitched scream, and then Lissa was in front of me with a Heal staff. "You reckless dummy!"

Through the blue light of the healing, I saw Robin pinch the bridge of his nose. "Mark. Did I, or did I not ask you if you could hold your ground?"

"Hey, I did hold my ground."

It was hard, but I did do it. Even if I half-killed myself trying.

The tactician sighed. "Yes, but you're practically a dead man walking. I appreciate that you held off the Risen and stopped them from a pincer attack, but in the future, please tell me when you're outmatched. Honestly."

I waved off his concerns. "I'll be-."

The sharp look from Lissa made me hold my tongue again.

"...I'll try."

After that, the group turned their attention on 'Marth', who made the same warning 'he' did in the game. Though I noticed that 'he' paid quite a bit of attention to me.

It made me wonder just what role I played in the future to the Shepards' children.

Marth did 'his' disappearing act, and then Frederick expressed his concerns about the Risen attacking the capital and we were on the move again.

Hopefully there would be time to rest once we got there. I could use some time off after all I've gone through.

...Stupid hero complex.

* * *

><p>AN: More shenanigans. If you're reading this kudos to you for trudging through. Glad that there are some people that enjoy this, even though it's more of a brain dump than meticulous writing like I usually do.

As for the guest who reviewed, it's not that I wrote all of it in one 15 minute session, but that I wrote all of it in multiple sessions throughout the day as I worked on 'Sword of Origin' for long stretches of time. Because this is generally unfiltered thoughts, it's longer and easier to produce, though the quality likely isn't as high.

Anyway, thanks all for reading. Leave a review if you're so inclined, and farewell until the next time.


	3. To Ylisstol

Chapter 2: To Yllistol

* * *

><p>I took some deep breaths, trying to keep calm and ignore the <em>(burningsearingjagged) <em>pain in my body. It turned out that my Runesword, while it healed the injuries I obtained, only temporarily numbed the pain. I should have realized that, since I was being healed by a 'curse' and not the same magic that a healing staff used.

There was always a price for a curse, something that Lissa kept reminding me, even the day after we left for Ylisstol and fought the Risen.

"...that was sooo dumb! Just because your sword can heal you doesn't mean you should fight so recklessly! What if we didn't get there in time? You'd be dead! Even curses don't heal blood loss, dummy! And did you even think about the scarring? They're never going to heal now!"

I sighed, and gave a small smile to Lissa.

We had almost arrived at Ylisstol. At the moment, we were just outside the city, traveling the road to its main entrance. I could see the capital in the distance, the palace towering over the rustic city below.

Sully and Virion had left us to head towards the Shepherd's barracks a while back. That left the group just as it was earlier: Chrom, Frederick, Lissa, Robin, and me.

At the moment, Lissa was traveling beside me, ranting about my reckless attitude in yesterday's battle, while the other guys were walking ahead of us.

I shook my head and then turned my attention back to Lissa.

"Yes, Lissa. I understand. And I still say that it was a good idea at the time. After all, you'd be dead if I hadn't done it, right?"

I answered her rant like I always did, reminding her of the consequences.

Lissa closed her mouth and sent me a glare, but it quickly softened and she turned away. "I know that. But you didn't have to-"

"Lissa," Robin said. "I think Mark gets it now. I'm sure he won't do it again in the future. Right, Mark?"

"Hey. At least I killed them."

Robin sighed. "Well, yes, but-"

"Twas more like a suicidal charge than a battle, Mark." Frederick looked at me, his eyes scrutinizing. "Even the most junior of the Yllisean knights would not have chosen that course of action. Was it not clear that you were outmatched?"

I crossed my arms. "It worked, didn't it? I don't see what the problem is."

Sure, I had almost died over a dozen times, but at least it worked out in the end. Some minor _(stabbingexcruciatingburning)_ pain was a small price to pay for their lives.

Frederick gave me a strange look, and then nodded. "...I suppose that is true. But I am certain that both milord and milady would prefer you not risk your life in the future."

Lissa nodded. "Yeah! Don't be so reckless, dummy!"

"...I wouldn't have thought you would be so concerned about the life of a stranger, Lissa."

Maybe I was being a bit non-chalant about my life, but it wasn't that big of a deal. It had been an eye-opening experience, after all, so I called it even.

Chrom, who had been silent this whole time, stopped and turned around. His usually calm look had been replaced with a steely gaze, one that I would have expected him to give an enemy and not me.

"Don't you dare talk like that, Mark. A life is not something to be thrown away so easily!"

I flinched. _Scary..._

Chrom sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Even if you are a stranger to us, you're a Shepherd now, Mark. We might not know each other yet, but we _do_ care about you. The same goes for you as well, Robin."

He turned back to the front, and said, "...Let's go. We're almost there."

I was silent the rest of the way there.

_Chrom, Lissa... they're really nice people, aren't they?_

xxx

"So this is Ylisstol..." I muttered.

It had already looked impressive from the distance, but up-close it was truly awe-inspiring.

As someone who had never been to an actual castle or historical monuments, seeing the capital with my very eyes was the fulfillment of a long held fantasy.

The castle, or palace, was high above the rest of the town, like it was a monument to the heavens. It was made of shining marble, and seemed to be as big as the town itself.

_Of course. The Exalt is practically a divine figure, so the palace would be built to suit them._

"Indeed, Mark," Frederick said. "And a welcome sight it is."

He took a look around, and then turned towards Chrom. "It appears that the town has been spared from the chaos outside, milord."

"I can see that, Frederick," Chrom said. "Let's hope it stays that way for a while yet."

As we made our way through the crowds of people, I noticed Robin looking around with wide eyes.

"Surprised, Robin?"

He nodded. "I've never seen so many people in one place. It's a bit overwhelming... though you don't seem to be bothered by it."

"Mm, I've been to places with more people."

There were way more students back at my university than here, after all. Being bothered by this many people would be strange after spending all of my time among hordes of students traveling from class to class.

"Really?!"

Lissa suddenly appeared at my side, again a bit too close for comfort.

I took a step back, ignoring the amused smirk on Robin's face, and nodded. "Y-yeah. There's a lot more people where I come from. Streets like these are usually filled with people walking from place to place."

_Well, people and cars. But they don't seem to have any of those here._

"Ooh... I'd like to see that. I thought that Ylisstol was already pretty big, but if there are even more people where you're from..."

I blinked. _Did her eyes suddenly turn into stars?_

"The clothes and candy I could buy! And all the shops... ooh, just thinking about it-"

A random person in the crowd shouted, cutting off Lissa's incoming rant. "Look! The Exalt has come to see us!"

_The Exalt? That would be... Emmeryn, right?_

The crowds in the streets had moved, making way for an entourage of female knights on... winged horses? _Huh. So that's what a Pegasus looks like in real life._

I looked to the front of the knights, towards the one they were meant to protect and found myself at a loss for words.

It wasn't that she was beautiful, though I would say that she was. It wasn't that she was imposing either. No, if anything she was the opposite.

Emmeryn. The Exalt, and older sister of both Chrom and Lissa. The one that was the ruler of all Ylisse.

Just looking at her seemed to put me at ease. There was just a sense of authentic serenity in her demeanor, her expression, her very being that was calming to the soul.

_No wonder Plegia revolted after Gangrel killed her._

If ever there was someone that could be called a 'pure soul' it was her. There was no hint of malice, no hint of malevolence. Not even irritation.

_She's... almost too good for this world._

"The exalt is your ruler, yes?"

Robin's voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Yes," Frederick said. "Her name is Lady Emmeryn."

Robin frowned, looking around at the loud crowd. "Is it safe for her to walk among commoners like this?

"I don't think anyone here would want to hurt her, Robin," I said.

And you could see it in their eyes. All of the people here adored Emmeryn, practically tripping over themselves just to get a look at her.

Frederick nodded. "Indeed, Mark. The exalt is a symbol of peace. Ylisse's most prized quality. Long ago..."

The knight started off into a lecture about Ylisse's history. I already knew most of it from playing the game, and seeing as he wasn't saying anything new, I decided to look around, paying attention to the minor details they didn't show, or rather couldn't show, in an artistic rendition.

It turned out that Cordelia was in the crowd of Pegasus knights guarding Emmeryn. She was in the back, probably because of her low rank or something, but it was a surprise to see her there. That one NPC Pegasus knight, Phila or something, was there as well, leading the troops from Emmeryn's side.

_Such minor details... and yet so authentic._

The interplay between the knights themselves were interesting. The rigid stance was uniform, but there were slight movements, a flicker of their eyes, a brief smile as they looked upon the crowd, that showed they weren't nameless portraits, but genuine people.

_People that would all die when Ylisstol fell._

Could I change that? Keep Ylisstol from falling? _No... I can't be too ambitious. You can't save everyone._

But even if I couldn't-

"You said you were Shepherds!"

I jumped at Robin's sudden outburst.

Chrom laughed.

A quick glance around showed that no one had noticed my reaction. Well, no one except Frederick, but he _was_ called 'Frederick the Wary', after all.

_At least it's not me he's laughing at._

"And so we are, Robin... in a manner of speaking. We just have a LOT of sheep to tend."

_Oh, right. Isn't this where..._

I turned towards Robin, and struggled not to laugh.

The tactician was looking between Chrom and Lissa with wide eyes and an open mouth. "You... and her..."

He suddenly dropped to the ground, frantically getting down on one knee.

That time I did laugh, though I turned to the side to spare Robin the embarassment.

"F-forgive me for my dreadful manners, Prince Chrom! If I have slighted you in any way-"

"Pft-" Lissa put her hands to her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

Chrom sighed. "Get up, Robin. You haven't done anything wrong."

Robin scrambled to his feet. "But-"

"I've never been much for formalities. Besides, we're all Shepherds here now, aren't we? Just Chrom is fine."

I shook my head at their interaction. _With how Frederick was acting, I would have thought it was obvious... but Robin has amnesia, so I shouldn't make fun of him too much._

"If you say so..." Robin muttered. "But the prince and princess... that explains why Frederick tolerates your teasing."

"Hey Chrom," Lissa said. "Emm's heading back to the palace!"

"So she is," he said.

Chrom looked towards me, and then Robin. "Would you two like to meet her?"

xxx

The entire way to the palace, Robin was a nervous wreck. He hid it well, but it wasn't hard to see that he was worried about meeting someone of such high standing in society.

Since we were heading into the palace, and since Chrom and Lissa were the prince and princess of said palace, they were the ones who led the way. Frederick was right behind them, as a dutiful knight of the realm should be (or so he said).

As guests, Robin and I trailed behind them, far enough to show the difference in stature, while close enough to show we were invited, and not just some random civilians.

I didn't see the point to it all, but decided to go along with it after Robin nearly wrenched my arm off for trying to stay closer to Chrom and Lissa.

"...You should relax, Robin. It's not like they're going to kill you for any faux pas."

Robin sighed, but remained tense. "I know, Mark. I know. But still... this is the Exalt we're going to meet. The ruler of this entire country!" He shook his head. "I don't know how you can be so calm about this. I know I'm not."

This time, I was the one who sighed. _Well, that's a lost cause._

I noticed that we had a lot of eyes on us as we walked through the palace halls. It took me a bit to figure out why, but then I realized how odd it must have seemed.

Though I didn't mind Robin's appearance, he was a definite outlier in comparison to the average citizen in Ylisse. With his startling white hair and his tactician cloak, he was a clear foreigner to the country, just as much as I must have seemed to be.

_No wonder Frederick was so suspicious in the beginning._

The soldiers we passed gave us all scrutinizing glares, sending off a clear vibe of 'you are not welcome'. Though it was brief, considering that we were guests of Prince Chrom and Princess Lissa.

_Oh. That's why he's so nervous._

I'd pretty much gotten used to not caring about what others thought of me in public. It looked like Robin hadn't though.

Eventually, we ran into Emmeryn, who had been walking down the hall from what looked to be the throne room.

"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home."

She gave her siblings a warm smile, and then turned her attention to Frederick. "And a good day to you as well, Frederick. How fared you all?"

I left the talking to Chrom and decided to take the time to study Emmeryn. Like my first impression of her, she carried an aura of serenity around her, but it seemed to be subdued now. Seeing her interact with Chrom and Lissa brought a more 'human' element to her character that hadn't been apparent when she was walking among the crowd earlier. She was just like everybody else, albeit more kind and graceful than most.

I blinked when I realized that everyone was looking at me, including that Pegasus knight _(when did she get here?)_.

_Oh crap._

I gave Emmeryn a quick bow and said, "Forgive me, your highness, but I did not hear your words. The honor of being in your presence had left me stunned."

_That works... right?_

"You would speak to the Exalt in such a flippant manner?!"

_...I guess not._

That Pegasus knight seemed to take offense to my words. In fact, she looked furious. And was that a spear she was brandishing?

Emmeryn smiled and held up her hand to the pegasus knight. "Peace, Phila. He seems sincere."

Phila scowled, but quickly smoothed her expression and stepped back to her place beside Emmeryn.

"As I was saying, I am grateful to you for aiding Chrom and Lissa. Without your heroic actions, my siblings may not be here today. For that, I thank you."

I blinked. _I should pay more attention._ Did the others say what I did?

"Forgive me, Your Grace," Frederick said. "But as heroic as his actions may have been, and as helpful as Robin's strategies may have been, we cannot rule out the possibility that they are spies or brigands themselves."

"Frederick!"

Surprisingly, it was Lissa who interjected. "Mark almost died trying to save us from those monsters! You shouldn't talk about him like that!"

Chrom nodded. "And if Robin was not there to help us with his tactics, I doubt we would be standing here talking, Frederick."

Emmeryn looked between her siblings, a small smile on her face. "So they have your trust then? Despite the fact that they may be foreign spies?"

Lissa nodded, her face usual cheerful face set in a determined look. She kept glaring at Frederick, as if he had committed a great wrong.

"Yes," Chrom said. "Both of them risked their lives for our people, and Mark almost died doing so. That's more than enough for me."

_This... isn't how I remember it going._

Was that the result of a single support level? Or were they just the natural result of fledgling friendships? Either way, it seemed that things weren't going to be playing out exactly as they had in the game. Well, that or I wasn't remembering it correctly.

_Hopefully it's the former and not the latter._

"It seems that you two have earned the faith of my dear siblings. As such, you have mine as well." She turned towards Frederick and said, "But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence as always."

The knight gave her a brief bow. "Your Grace."

"Now Chrom," Emmeryn said. "You mentioned deathly creatures appearing across the land?"

When he nodded, Emmeryn said, "Then would you like to join us? We are about to hold council, and your input would be appreciated."

"Of course."

With those words, Chrom and Frederick headed off with Emmeryn and Phila, leaving just me, Robin, and Lissa standing in the hall.

"...Well, that didn't go like I had thought it would."

Robin let out a long sigh. "You can say that again. Though I'm surprised, Mark. 'Your presence had left me stunned'?" He smirked, that same expression that he had in the game when things were going his way. "Either you have nerves of steel, or you have no sense of tact at all."

I shrugged. "I was surprised. Lady Emmeryn is... different than how I imagined her to be."

"Teehee. Emm is nice, isn't she? I bet you were all flustered, Mark. That's why you weren't listening, right?"

I frowned. "No, I just-"

"Ah," Robin said. "No wonder you were so reckless in that last battle. You were just trying to impress the Exalt, weren't you?"

"Of course not!"

"Weeell, Emm is really beautiful. It's not your fault for falling for her charms, Mark."

"I said I'm not-"

Lissa leaned towards me, really, really close. Too close for comfort. "Or maybe you were just trying to impress me?"

_...Note to self. Don't mess with the forces that be anymore. Really, really bad idea. _

Before I could reply, Lissa leaned back and burst out laughing. "Hahaha, your face..."

I glared at her. "Not funny, Lissa."

"Oh I would beg to differ," Robin said. "That was very funny."

"Quiet you. At least I wasn't shaking in my boots on our way here."

Robin frowned. "That's different."

"Hey now, no fighting!"

"We're not fighting," I said. "Just... debating. Right, Robin?"

Lissa grabbed my arm, as well as Robin's, and started leading us away. "Whatever! C'mon, there's a place I want you two to see."

"I can walk on my-"

The glare Lissa sent made me hold my tongue.

_Too adorable... damn._

I glanced over at Robin only to see him with that damnable smirk of his.

_Just you wait, Robin. You'll get what's coming to you as soon as we meet Tharja._

* * *

><p>AN: And here are some more shenanigans in Ylisse. A bit close to canon, but after this things diverge a bit. It was fun writing it though, so I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review if you did, and I'll see you again whenever I get a suitable amount for a chapter written.


	4. Shepherds and the Verge of History

Chapter 3: Shepherds and the Verge of History

* * *

><p>Lissa gave a dramatic wave of her arm and said, "Ta-da! Welcome to the Shepherd's garrison!"<p>

I tried my best not to be surprised or stunned at what I was seeing, but found it hard not to be. The game had never shown what the outside of the Shepherd's barracks looked like, so I was expecting it to be a part of the castle. Instead, she had led us to a mansion a long walk away, one that definitely did not give off an 'army' feel to it, like I imagined the Shepherd's barracks.

"Impressive," Robin said. He gave the place a once over and shook his head. "But it doesn't seem much like a garrison to me."

Lissa smiled. "I know, right? I was so happy when we finally got to stop using that smelly old place back in the castle." She shuddered.

I paid little attention to their conversation, still in shock at the sight of the Shepherd's garrison. It was _huge_. Not as large as the palace had been, but still far, far larger than any houses I'd ever seen. While I hadn't seen the interior yet, I could already see that there could be dozens of bedrooms inside with enough space leftover for a tennis court or something, if this had been back at home and not Ylisse.

The fact that I was standing in front of towering gilded double doors didn't help to lessen my awe.

Lissa walked past me and grabbed the handles on the door. "Anyway, come on in you two! We've got to introduce you to the rest of the Shepherds!"

I blinked. _Is she going to open them by herself?_ "Here, Lissa. Let me-"

"Heave-ho!"

The doors slammed open. Literally, slammed open. Lissa, who I'd thought to be a dainty princess, had just thrown the doors wide open. Doors which I would have found hard-pressed to do the same. _Note to self. Try not to annoy Lissa. That tiny frame holds more strength than you would think._

I saw Robin take a step back and give Lissa a long look. "Whoa... that's kinda scary, Lissa. You're stronger than I thought."

"Hm?" Lissa turned back and tilted her head. "Oh, I'm not that strong. Frederick just likes to use a lot of grease on the hinges, so they're really easy to open." She closed the doors and stepped back outside. "Here, you try."

I blinked again, trying to process the surreal situation occurring. _What?_

"Is that so?" Robin looked skeptical, but he stepped forward and grabbed the door handles. "Well, here goes nothing..."

Again, the doors slammed open.

This time, Robin was the one standing in shock. He blinked, opening his mouth a few times, and then shook his head. "I take back my words. Frederick's the scary one. The amount of time and effort needed to loosen the tension of the hinges... no, the amount of strength needed to open and close the doors again so that they would be loose, as well as the repair work needed..."

Seeing that Robin was lost in thought, Lissa turned to me. "Do you want to try, Mark? It's _reaally _fun. Oh, but don't open them _too _hard. Last time I tried that, I tripped." She frowned. "It hurt. A lot. Especially when the doors swung back and pushed me down to the ground."

I slowly shook my head. "Er... I'll pass Lissa. Thanks for the offer though."

She shrugged. "If you say so."

The doors had swung shut again while we were talking _(wow, those doors are quiet)_ so Lissa threw them open again and walked inside the mansi- the Shepherd's garrison.

Still a bit shocked at both the garrison itself as well as the impossibly smooth door hinges, I followed her without hesitation. In a moment, Robin did the same.

The inside of the mansion was just as impressive as the outside. We stepped into the main hall, a room that looked more like a ballroom in a Disney movie than a hall, and I turned my head, examining my surroundings.

Another set of double doors stood in front of us, across the plaza, or whatever you called the wide, marbled floor in the center. To the immediate left and right were a matching set of stairwells, winding along the wooden walls and leading to a second floor. Directly above the second set of double doors, there was a balcony, behind which was a long hallway filled with doors. Probably bedrooms, judging from my vague recollection of similar buildings in video games.

"Lissa darling, is that you?"

A regal sounding voice drifted towards from above. I looked towards it to see a woman step out from one of the rooms on the second level.

The woman had long blonde hair, but it was kept in curls that must have taken ages to style. Though it wasn't the outfit I remembered once seeing her in, the Victorian-era themed attire definitely suited her.

_So that's Maribelle, huh? She definitely looks like a noblewoman. _

Her gaze settled for a moment on Robin and I, turning frigid in an instant. When she saw Lissa though, that icy mask faded, and turned into genuine happiness and then concern.

She was down the stairs in a flash, as fast as she could while still keeping a regal demeanor, and then wrapped Lissa in a tight embrace. "Oh I was so worried!"

Lissa smiled. "Nice to see you too, Maribelle!"

Maribelle took a step back, and then fixed Lissa with a stern gaze. "I still cannot believe you! Patrolling with your brother, why I counted a dozen new gray hairs just from that alone!"

"You worry too much!" Lissa shook her head, though her smile never left her face. "I was fine! Well, it was a little scary when all those monsters came after me, but Robin took care of that! ...Though Mark's a reckless idiot for trying to play the hero and staying behind so that Robin could come save me."

That last sentence was muttered, and I only barely heard it. Seeing as I'd only lose face if I responded, I pretended I didn't.

Maribelle raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And might these Robin and Mark be the two standing behind you, darling?"

"Yep!" Lissa turned back towards us. "The smart looking guy with white hair is Robin..."

Robin gave Maribelle a small bow. "A pleasure to meet you."

"...and that's Mark."

_Just Mark? _I sighed and nodded my head towards Maribelle. "Hello."

"Anyway," Lissa said. "These two are joining the Shepherds, so I'm going to show them around. Do you want to come along?"

Maribelle glanced at me, and then Robin, and shook her head. "While I do enjoy your company, Lissa, dear, I'm afraid that I have... obligations to attend to."

With only that as an explanation, Maribelle stepped away from Lissa and walked past us, towards the entrance of the garrison, every bit the noblewoman she was. Well, except for the harsh glare she was sending me and Robin.

Robin turned towards Lissa. "...Did we do something to slight her? Your friend didn't seem very happy to see us."

"She probably just doesn't get along well with new people," I said.

Lissa nodded. "Maribelle's a bit... touchy, but she's a nice person!" She frowned. "It just might take some time for her to get used to the two of you."

Robin sighed. "If you say so..."

"So," I said. "You were going to show us around, Lissa?"

_There it is again!_ For a second, I swore that Lissa's eyes brightened and flashed like stars. Could it have been magic? Divine heritage? Just what-

"Oh! That's right!" She grabbed my arm again and started pulling me away. "You have _got_ to see the training grounds, Mark. It's so pretty, and sunny! Well, except for when it rains. And when Chrom and Vaike decide to spar, but every other time-"

"Lissa, I can walk by myself you know..."

She didn't hear me. Or if she did, she chose to ignore me. "And then after that we can go to the kitchen. Frederick's a great cook whenever he's not cooking stinky smelly bear meat, and there's lots of candy we can eat! Ooh, and then there's the library, and-"

I glanced towards Robin. "Help?" I mouthed.

To my dismay, the tactician only shook his head, his face set in that smug smirk of his. "You're own your own," he mouthed back.

_That traitor! When Tharja joins, I'm going to-_

"Hey, are you listening Mark?"

I sighed. "Yes, Lissa. I'm listening."

She nodded and continued telling stories about the garrison. Robin followed behind us, seemingly forgotten by the Exalt's younger sister.

I didn't forget about him though. How could I, when he was barely containing his laughter the entire time?

_...Maybe I shouldn't have started a support with Lissa... _

xxx

During our tour of the mansion/garrison, we met most of the other Shepherds. Virion had been his dramatic self, and was in the library reading a book when we got there. Stahl and Sully had been in the kitchen, both eating. I hadn't seen Ricken or Sumia, but the former was probably helping Maribelle with whatever she was doing and the latter was probably wherever Chrom was. I hadn't seen Vaike either, but the guy was probably out doing some training or something.

After all of that, Lissa finally brought us to the training grounds.

Once again, my image of the place was completely debunked. For one, the grounds were more of a large park than a gym, like I imagined. Then again, I should have expected that, considering that Sully, Stahl, and Frederick fought on horseback. You would need a lot of room to practice that.

A lot of training dummies were set up around the area (which was a large grassy field for the most part) and looked to be pretty worn down. They weren't broken though, so that spoke a lot about their durability, especially if training was done with live weapons instead of wooden ones.

It looked like Chrom had arrived sometime during our tour of the place, since he was currently sparring with Vaike. At least I thought so. Who else had blonde hair and walked around without a shirt on?

Vaike charged, a wooden axe _(oh, so they use those after all)_ cutting through the air in a heavy slash-

"My turn!"

-which Chrom easily dodged by stepping to the side. In the next moment, his own wooden weapon smacked Vaike in his stomach and sent the muscular blonde reeling back.

Chrom didn't let him recover and used Vaike's disorientation to sweep his legs from under him. The scene after that looked pretty much like a typical duel finish, with Chrom standing with a foot on Vaike's chest and the wooden sword pointed at his throat.

_...Holy crap._ I hadn't actually seen Chrom fight until now. It looked like the Lord didn't mess around. That counter had been brutal.

Hesitant applause. Looking towards it, I saw Sumia standing off to the side.

_So that's where she was._

Chrom stepped back from Vaike and helped the guy to his feet.

"Chrom!" Lissa waved and again dragged me with her.

A glance back at Robin showed that he was still leaving me to my plight, enjoying my suffering like the sadistic bastard he was.

_...Huh. There's a thought. _Maybe that was why Tharja had been attracted to him. The powerful inner darkness/being an Avatar of Grima and all probably played a role in that.

Thankfully, Chrom wasn't anything like the sadistic tactician and helped me out. "Lissa," he said in a stern voice. "Why are you dragging Mark around like he's one of your stuffed animals? He's a person, not a toy."

Lissa frowned and grudgingly let go of my arm.

I didn't waste any time getting away from the overly excited blonde and moved to Chrom's side, rubbing my arm to get some feeling back in it. "Thanks..."

Chrom nodded, and then turned his attention back to Lissa. "How many times do I have to tell you to be more tactful, Lissa? Just because you're a princess-"

"I know Chrom, I know! Hmph." Lissa crossed her arms and then turned her attention towards Robin.

Unfortunately for me, Robin was quicker to the draw then I had been and moved before Lissa could drag him along to whatever exploits she had in mind. All the while making it look perfectly natural and planned.

_Note to self. Learn dark magic at the earliest opportunity so that you can curse the living daylights out of Robin. Ask Tharja if all else fails._

"So Chrom," Robin said. "How did the war council go? Does the Exalt have any plans on how to deal with those undead monsters?"

Seeing that she was being ignored, Lissa let out a big huff and turned on her heel, heading back into the mansion. Er, garrison.

Vaike brushed some dirt off his clothes and then said, "Oi, Captain. Who're those two?"

"Hm? Ah, you probably haven't been introduced yet. These two are the newest members of the Shepherds, Robin and Mark."

"Robin and Mark, huh?" Vaike eyed the two of us. "Whitey over there looks pretty tough, but I dunno about the other guy..."

I blinked. _What's with these people and just writing me off like that?_

"Heh, don't worry!" Vaike gave me a broad grin and pounded his chest. "Teach here will teach you everything you need to know!"

Chrom gave him a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about him, Mark. Vaike's a bit... strange-"

"HEY!"

"-But he's a good guy. Ah, and that's Sumia over there." He turned towards her and gestured for her to come closer. "Sumia!"

I could clearly recall what happened next. It was like the whole scene happened in slow motion, with each frame moved forward piece by piece.

Sumia turned, her face flushed red at being called by Chrom. She was startled and flinched a bit, but then broke out into a sprint, one fueled with nervous energy and embarrassment. She made it halfway towards us when she just... tripped. There wasn't a rock or anything, nor was there uneven ground or unlaced boots to blame it on. No, she just... tripped, like the ground was pulled out from underneath her.

A loud crash, and then a few pained whimpers.

"Er... are you alright?"

That was Robin. He looked about as stunned as I felt, and was probably trying to make sense of what just happened. Most likely by various calculations and number crunching. From his expression, it seemed like they didn't add up.

Chrom sighed and walked over to Sumia. "This is the second time today, Sumia. Are you sure you don't want to-"

"I'm fine!"

She jumped to her feet. Unfortunately, Chrom was leaning over her, and was about to help her up.

Their heads crashed into each other, and Chrom was sent reeling back, clutching his chin.

"Owowow..." Sumia clutched her forehead, falling back to the ground after the collision.

Vaike let out a booming laugh, but Chrom's glare quieted him down. Still didn't wipe the smirk off the blonde's face though.

I shook my head and helped Sumia up, since no one else was going to do it.

Of course, Robin would choose that time to talk. "So first the Exalt, Lissa, and now a girl you just met? Mark, you sure work fast..."

I let go of Sumia's hand the moment she was back on her feet and glared at Robin. "How many times do I have to tell you and Lissa? I am not a-"

"What's this about Emm and Lissa, Mark?"

I let out a long suffering sigh. "Just... never mind."

Chrom gave me a strange look, but then introduced me and Robin to Sumia as well.

After that, we all headed back to the kitchen, or dining hall.

xxx

I flopped down onto my feathery bed. It had been a grueling experience having dinner with the Shepherds. It also turned out that I had forgotten more than I remembered about the game, since I completely forgot about Kellam and Miriel. Now Kellam I could understand, since that guy legitimately faded into the background if you weren't focused on him, but Miriel? The eccentric and scarily intelligent mage?

I sighed. _Just what am I doing here?_

I doubted I could help them. Sure, I had been all for the heroics against the Risen earlier, and I wanted to protect them, but I was next to useless. It was clear that my 'future' knowledge was spotty at best, completely flawed at worst. And it had only been my Runesword _(just how and where did I get this thing anyway?)_ that kept me alive. I could barely protect myself. Just how on Earth was I going to protect the Shepherds?

I sat up and looked around the room that had been assigned to me. Like the rest of the Shepherd's garrison, it was extravagant and spacious. Big enough to fit at least a dozen king sized beds with room to spare for some wardrobes and book shelves.

My room had a window overlooking the training grounds, with a desk conveniently placed next to it. From the orange light filtering in, the day was close to an end.

And tomorrow we would march to Regna Ferox. Regna Ferox, where we would have to fight in a tournament to get Flavia's aid. Regna Ferox, where we would be unable to help when Gangrel made his move and Maribelle was captured... at least that's what I could remember. The details escaped me, and that was irritating.

I _knew_ what would happen, but not when, how, or why. The overarching plot was clear, as well as the major plot points, but the game was never clear on the timeline. Not only that, but I wasn't sure how much my presence would change.

Was I in the first timeline? Did I have a kid in the future who would be travelling back in time? Or was I only present in this timeline?

Judging from Lucina calling my 'Uncle Mark', it would seem that I was in her timeline. And did that mean I married Lissa? Not that she wasn't attractive or anything, but I couldn't see myself being with her... especially after seeing how clingy she was. If anything, she seemed more like an overly-attached younger sister. Granted, I didn't have any sisters, so I didn't really know how that worked.

And then there was the fact that I wasn't panicking about leaving behind my family and friends back at home. People I cared about and who would surely be panicking about my absence... and also people who I couldn't remember the names of, nor their faces.

"What the hell...?"

Wait. That wasn't right. I had remembered who they were yesterday, so why...?

I blinked.

I couldn't remember.

I had brothers. I knew that much. I was the eldest. But how many did I have? And how old was I?

What was my life like? Who did I care about?

A chilling sensation, and an uncomfortable gnawing in my chest. Anxiety, slowly creeping in.

I got out of the bed. There had been a journal on the desk, and a quill beside it. A bottle of ink was there as well.

I opened it. Blank. Good.

I picked up the quill and dipped it in a fluid motion _(how did I do that?! I've never used one!)_ and began writing. Anything, everything I could remember about my life.

The eldest son. A writer. A student. Programming. Composer.

I stared at the page before me.

Blank, save for those words.

I didn't know who I was _(anxietyworrypaindoubt)_.

Breathe.

"Okay... so you don't know who you are."

My voice was the same as it always had been. A glance at the mirror in the room showed my face staring back at me, brown eyes, black hair and all. That was famili-

_Brown hair. Green eyes. A different face that was familiar, and yet wasn't. Strategies. Tactics. Trying and failing to save someone he lost. Master of time. Fighting with reckless abandon. Distant, aloof. Ruthless, and ingenious. One who had lost everything too many times to count._

I scrambled back, rolling onto the ground in my haste.

"What. The. Hell."

That wasn't me. It wasn't, and yet it _was_.

What the hell?

A knock on my door. Robin's voice. "Mark? Are you alright? I heard a crash."

Right. He had the room opposite of mine.

Focus.

"I'm... I'm fine. Just surprised by something, that's all."

Mark. Right. That was what that memory was. It was of Mark, the tactician I had written for my old Fire Emblem fanfiction, _Scattered Memories._ Not me.

The door opened, and Robin appeared at the doorstep. He saw me sitting there on the floor and said, "Er... did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, no. I'm fine."

I got to my feet. I could think about who I was _(A man with silver hair, one who gave up everything for a miracle to save them-)_ later.

Robin gave me an odd look and then nodded. "If you say so."

"Did... you need something, Robin? Or did you just come in to check on me?"

"Yes, I did actually."

He closed the door and entered my room. He gestured towards the fallen chair near me and said, "May I?"

I lifted the chair and handed it to him. "Go ahead." Not like it helped me any.

He nodded in thanks and took a seat.

I walked over to my bed and sat down there.

"So what did you want, Robin?"

He hesitated, and then said, "How do you know me?"

I blinked. _Huh?_

"I know I asked you before, and I know what happened. There has to be a reason for why you were bound to not tell me who I am, but at the least you can-"

I held up my hand. "Hold on. You want to know how we met, and not who you are?"

He nodded. "I don't want you to hurt yourself trying to tell me who I am, but at the least you can say how we met, right?"

"Er..." I scratched the back of my head. "We haven't actually met before now..."

This time Robin was the one to blink. "Huh? But you knew my name before I introduced myself. And you said something about me being a strategist..." He trailed off, as if lost in thought.

"How should I put this..."

I couldn't really tell him that I had met him by playing Fire Emblem Awakening, now could I? Then again, I didn't really want to lie to him either, especially since he had been genuinely concerned for my safety.

I decided to bite the bullet and tell him the truth, or as close a version to it as I could. "We met in another lifetime, similar to this. But at that time, you were the only one who joined the Shepherds."

I waited for his response, deciding to choose my next words based on his reaction.

"The only one to join the Shepherds? Another lifetime...?" Robin's eyes widened. "That dream-"

"Dream?"

Robin nodded. "When I first met Chrom, I had a dream. No... it was more a nightmare. I don't remember all the details, but..."

_Ah, the premonition._

"Yes, I-"

He frowned and interrupted me. "But... you were there too. Yes, you were there. I remember now. You were there, and I..."

_Hold on. I was there? That's not right..._

He suddenly paled.

"I killed Chrom. And you... you killed me. I... I remember now." He slumped back in his seat, suddenly all too weary. "The Awakening... the battle against Validar. Everyone..."

I blinked. This _definitely_ wasn't how I remembered things going. Robin regaining memories of the future? That shouldn't happen.

"No." Robin suddenly straightened. "That won't happen this time." He turned towards me, his gaze suddenly intense. "You did it, didn't you, Mark? That ritual where you-"

"Er, hold on." I could honestly say that I was confused. "... I did what?"

Robin frowned. "You... don't remember?"

I shook my head, too shocked to say anything.

"But they why did you... Ah. So that's why you had acted so strange... it makes sense now. You're an Outrealmer, aren't you?"

"Er..."

Robin nodded. "Yes, that explains it. I always did wonder how you summoned the Einherjar and pulled out all those legendary weapons. It looks like you can't do that yet though, otherwise back then..."

"I don't-"

Robin suddenly grabbed my hand, eyes blazing with determination. "We'll save them. Between the two of us, we can make sure no one dies."

"Well. I guess... that makes things easier?"

He nodded again. "Now, let's compare notes. I'm sure there'll be some differences, especially if you brought the children back like you planned to, but overall..."

I sighed, seeing that he wasn't going to give up on this.

_No going back now. Goodbye canon..._

"Well, from what I remember..."

* * *

><p>AN: Huh. I didn't plan on things ending up like they did in this chapter, but i can't say that I mind how it did either. Robin remembering the events in Lucina's timeline. 'Me' remembering the events in the game's timeline. Lucina traveling back in time to change things.

This is going to be... interesting, to say the least. Anyway, hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it. I'll be back with more whenever I finish it. Next up, to Regna Fox! ...And an OP Robin blasting the Risen to bits.


	5. Diplomatic Force

Chapter 4: Diplomatic Force

* * *

><p>So it turned out that I <em>was<em> in the Future Past. The problem was, I had been... different.

Robin and I had spent the night going over what we should do for the future, and the first part of that had been comparing our knowledge of the timeline, as well as what we knew about the Shepherds in general.

Apparently, when I met Robin and Chrom, I had been an Ylissean knight with no memories save my name and a desire to protect the Exalt. Because of that, I managed to prevent Emmeryn's assassination by Validar, as well as get close to Chrom and Lissa by association.

In the end though, it seemed that the events unfolded the same as they had in the game, despite my presence in the future. Robin had still been amnesiac, Emmeryn still died, and Chrom was still killed.

While Robin could remember the future, his memory was still blurry, like mine. Between the two of us, we managed to remember the major events, like Ylisstol falling, the war with Gangrel, the war with Walhart, and then Robin's possession by Grima, but other things we weren't sure of. Since Robin had memories of the Future Past, he didn't know about the event that would change as a result of Lucina and the others coming to the past.

All in all, it was a major headache for the two of us, since he mentioned things I didn't remember, and I mentioned things _he_ didn't remember.

We ended up with a plan of action though... of sorts.

First off, there wasn't much we could change until Maribelle was captured. I was loathe to put her in danger (even if she was a bit stuck up) because there were too many variables at play. Gangrel might decide to just kill her this time and be done with it, considering how close he had been last time.

...But in the end that was a risk we had to take.

I let out a groan and pressed my head against the window.

It was morning, but I couldn't sleep yesterday anyway. _This is exactly why I would never wish to be in a self-insert_. A single variable changed far too much. And even though I knew the future, even though I had someone from the literal future of this time on my side, there were still too many things that could go wrong, too many things unclear.

First of all, how did Robin's memories get sent back in time?

Why was Lucina surprised to see me?

Who and where was Grima in this time period?

And most importantly of all... did I have a kid in the future? And did I manage to live long enough to see him or her return to the past?

Those were the most important things to know, and yet Robin didn't have that information. It seemed that his miraculous recovery of his memories only applied to major events, not the 'minor' details like that, and who got together with who.

All he knew was the vague timeline of events, and that I had planned to perform some ritual to send all of the children back in time through the Outrealm Gate at the Ruins of Time, since Naga had refused to aid the entire Exalted line for some reason.

"...I need to hit something."

I glanced down at the training dummies in the courtyard. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and the air was still cool, judging from the nice and cold feeling of the window on my forehead.

"...That'll do."'

xxx

I reached the training grounds undisturbed. It seemed like the rest of the Shepherds wanted to catch up on sleep before the long journey, so no one was up today.

The training dummies had been set up in an area of the grounds where the terrain was flat dirt. While a bit dangerous due to the tripping hazard of loose dirt, it was better than the dew-covered grass at least.

I raised the wooden sword I'd grabbed along the way and aimed it at the dummy. I didn't bother with any stance, any semblance of formal training. All I wanted to do was...

"Hah!"

A solid hit on the dummy's head, the force reverberating up the wooden sword and into my arm.

I scowled. There wasn't even any sign of damage on the dummy.

_Unacceptable._

I brought my sword around for another attack, diagonal. Another solid hit, but again no signs of damage. Instead, it was my arm that was feeling the force, those two attacks already making it numb.

_Useless._

I wasn't anywhere near the amount of force and speed that I'd seen the others attack with. I'd managed to fight the Risen, but that had been by using my life as bait.

Luck. That was the only reason I was alive. Looking back, there were far too many ways that I could have died. At this rate, I would die before making a difference. Even if Robin was a brilliant tactician and strategist, he was counting on me to help him save everyone.

I ground my teeth and hit the dummy with a two-handed strike, putting all of my frustration into the blow. A loud _crack_, and my arms went numb.

Still, no damage. Both the wooden sword and the dummy were unmarked, in the same state as they had been when I started off.

"Damn..."

I was out of my depth. I had no experience in actual combat, strategy, or preventing deaths by changing the future. All of those self-insert stories made it seem so easy. Just go with the flow and things will work out, for better or for worse. But there were so many things that could go wrong, so many ways that they could die-

"You are up early, Mark."

I jumped and spun around, my sword at the ready. I relaxed when I saw who it was.

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "Slow. I could have killed you where you stand five times over in the time it took for you to turn around."

I scoffed. "Of course. I'm well aware of how weak I am, Sir Frederick."

Weak, and a fake. I was just a normal person playing at a role I couldn't fill. Even if Robin remembered me as someone that could stand side by side with him and Chrom, I was still far from reaching that level. To begin with, I didn't even know how to summon the Einherjar or access the Outrealm like my 'other' self had done.

Which was ironic, considering I had acted as another recruitable character in the Future Past while here I was well aware of my role as an 'Outrealmer'.

Frederick was quiet for a moment, and then charged towards me, a wooden sword suddenly in hand.

I couldn't react. _Fast!_

The sound of wood hitting wood.

I blinked. _I... blocked it?_

Frederick stepped back. "Good. So you possess some skill after all."

The knight's words snapped me out of my surprise. "What was that for?"

Frederick smiled. "Despite my misgivings, both my liege and milady Lissa have placed their trust in you. As your death would trouble them, it is my duty to... reprimand you for your suicidal tendencies in combat. Now, on your guard!"

With those words, Frederick attacked again, this time at a speed I couldn't even begin to follow. _Is it even possible to move that fast?!_

Thus began my first encounter with Frederick's Fitness Hour.

xxx

I arrived at the kitchen with aches all over my body and my arms numb.

"You are quite impressive, Mark. Why, I even had to use half my strength in our last bout!"

"...Shut up Frederick."

It was breakfast time now. We'd be marching to Regna Ferox after we ate.

Frederick gave me his usual small smile. "I am quite sincere in my praise, Mark. For one as green as you to improve so rapidly is nothing short of a miracle."

Ah, right. Frederick had managed to figure out that I was new to fighting during his trademarked 'Frederick Fitness Hour'. While he didn't teach me anything, something about our styles of combat being too dissimilar, he did ingrain a healthy understanding of the importance of dodging.

I sighed and sat down at the nearest chair, not even paying attention to who else was at the table.

"Hm? Oh, morning Mark!"

I froze. _Of all the people..._

"...Morning Lissa."

The princess was in the seat next to me, munching on some toast. "So, you excited? I can hardly wait! We're going to go to Regna Ferox! Well, it might be boring considering how far it is, but at least it'll be fun, right? I mean with so many of us going it'll be like one big vacation!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, not appreciating the budding headache that was adding to the pain I already felt.

Frederick took a seat opposite me and spoke to Lissa. "I'm afraid it will not be as fun as you believe it to be, milady. We will be acting as a diplomatic group, not travelers."

Lissa frowned. "So? Just because we're going to do business stuff doesn't mean we can't have fun."

Frederick smiled. "Indeed. This knight is gladdened that milady finally appreciates the benefit of long marches."

Those words caused Lissa to pale. It looked like she hadn't thought about that at all.

"Er..."

A blur of white hair and a dark cloak in the corner of my eye. Robin sat down next to Frederick, carrying two plates. "Morning, everyone. And here, Mark."

I took the offered plate from Robin (some toast, eggs, and sausages), though I was mildly disturbed at his level of preparation. I had just come in through the door, after all.

"Thanks."

I wondered what he was getting at... unless he was just here to talk? Robin was always a friendly sorta guy, judging from his many, many support conversations. Probably had to do with his whole ideology of 'invisible ties'.

I shrugged it off and started eating. I was sore, tired, and not really in the mood for much thinking.

Before I knew it, we were on the move, the time passing by in a blur with my fatigue.

It was bright out, with clear blue skies. We were traveling on the North Road, following its beaten trail towards the inevitable destination of Regna Ferox.

Maribelle, Ricken, Sully, and Virion had all stayed behind. The former two would be staying behind because Maribelle had some 'Noble duty' or something, while Ricken was still too young. As for Sully and Virion, well the red knight was the only one that could keep the 'Archest of Archers' in line, and Chrom wanted to leave at least one competent person behind while we were all off being diplomatic.

...On foot.

I sighed. You would think that we'd get horses or something considering how time was of the essence, but it turned out that the only ones who would be riding those would be Frederick and Stahl. The other few horses we had were used to bring along the convoy and whatever supplies we needed for the long haul.

"You alright, Mark?"

That was Chrom. It looked like he'd snuck by my side without me noticing.

"I'm fine."

The Lord raised an eyebrow. "You don't look 'fine' to me. Are you sure you're up to the march?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... Frederick."

He blinked, confused at my seeming non sequitur, and then he cringed. "Ah... I take it you were introduced to his Fitness Hour then."

I nodded.

Chrom gave me a small smile. "It gets... better, after a while. But maybe you should head back and get some rest-"

He suddenly stopped talking, his attention focused on something up ahead, and then he said, "By the Gods... the Risen have spread this far?"

I let out a sigh and drew my sword.

It was an odd contrast, the scene that had occurred. About two dozen Risen littered the road in front of us, wandering aimlessly like... zombies. _Huh. That's a thought._ Maybe with Robin suddenly remembering his memories, Grima was indisposed. And maybe we wouldn't have to fight super powered undead monstrosities from the future!

Of course that would be far too easy.

Almost as soon as I had that hopeful thought, the Risen jerked, like an invisible puppet master pulled on their strings. Suddenly on guard, they turned as one, weapons raised and prepared for combat.

Chrom drew the Falchion and took up a combat stance. "I don't like the look of these odds... Robin!" He tilted his head back, obviously waiting for the tactician's orders.

"Thoron!"

_What?_

That thought was all I had time for before half of the walking dead were vaporized by an overpowered lightning spell.

I blinked, clearing the dots from my eyes, and then turned around to send a glare at Robin.

The tactician tossed a book to the side, probably his thunder tome, and then drew a sword. Strangely enough, it wasn't the bronze sword that I remembered him having, but a different one with a golden hilt with blue and red highlights. Its blade tapered off to a point, and there was a glowing red jewel set in the center of the guard sword's guard-

And then it was gone, replaced by the bronze sword I remembered him using.

"Chrom, with me! Mark, guard Lissa! Everyone else, pair up and stick to the trees!"

I shook my head. The fatigue was probably getting to me... _Hold on. Did he say to guard Lissa? That sneaky-_

Before I could finish cursing out our dastardly tactician and his manipulative ways, there was a blur of yellow at my side, and then a vice grip on my left arm.

I sighed. "Lissa, would you kindly let go?"

"Not until you promise not to do anything dumb!"

I felt another headache coming along. Strange, considering I usually never got those. "You do realize that if you hold onto me like that, we're both likely to die when a Risen sneaks up on us, right?"

She tensed for a moment, and then shook her head. "Nah. You'll protect me. So, are you going to promise, or not?"

_Naga, Grima, or whatever power responsible for this. I hate you. I hate you with a vehemence that even All the Evils of the World would be hard-pressed to match, and I swear that the moment I find out who you are, I'm going to-_

Robin's stern voice cut off my thoughts. "Mark! Stop fooling around!"

I opened my mouth, fully intending on protesting his decision to place me with Lissa and demanding the impossible when he interrupted me again. "Three mages! To your left!"

My eyes grew wide as I saw a trio of fireballs, large and blistering with heat, surge towards us.

A brief glance around showed that all the others had left us behind, charging ahead to fight the Risen. Even Robin, who had given me that order, was nowhere nearby.

A mild sense of panic. "Dammit Lissa, let go already!"

"Not until you promise!"

This was bad. Bad, bad, bad. There wasn't anyone around to help us. The Risen mages were already chanting another spell. Lissa was preventing me from drawing the attention of the Risen so that I could take them out. And there was that headache again, the budding pain in my head turning into feeling like a nail being driven into my skull-

Fire, moments away from turning me and Lissa into crispy dust on the ground.

"Just _go away!_"

Irritation, pain, and anger. Without thinking it, I swung the Runesword at the fireballs.

A wave of black light, and dark malevolence. In an instant, the fire was gone, and I was feeling a lot better about myself. In fact, all the pain and fatigue I was feeling was gone too.

I felt Lissa let go of my arm and step back, then heard her say, "Whoa."

I followed her gaze and- "Whoa."

It was a good thing that all of the others had gone on ahead. The ground, grass, and pretty much everything in front of me up until where the three Risen mages had been standing had been turned to dust. Gray, lifeless... it was like all of the life had been sucked out of it.

"...That's scary."

I could only nod at Lissa's words.

"By the Gods..." Chrom walked towards us, his eyes wide as he glanced at the desolate area. It looked like the battle was over already. Then again, if Robin could use Thoron out of the blue like that with just a Thunder Tome after recovering his memories, it really wasn't surprising.

Chrom shook his head. "First, Robin, and now you, Mark? Did the two of you decide to buy a chest full of Spirit Dust late last night and inhale it all?"

I blinked. "...You inhale Spirit Dust?" That was... mildly disturbing. I'd always thought it was just sprinkled over your body...

"Well... no," Chrom said. "But how else do you explain... that?" He gestured towards the streak of gray now covering the North Road.

"Er... pent up negative energy being released in an explosive manner?"

"Oh!" Lissa tapped herself on the head. "I forgot to cleanse your wounds of dark magic, didn't I?"

"Lissa..." Chrom looked like he was about to lecture his younger sister again, but then he sighed and shook his head. "...Let's just get going. The Gods know we've cleared out the Risen for miles around now..."

I blinked again. _Well... that happened?_

xxx

After that brief skirmish, we were on the move once more. I was surprisingly refreshed from the battle (if it could be called that considering how short it was) and felt pretty good.

Without any immediate threats, the march was pretty relaxing. As longtime friends for the most part, the Shepherds were milling about, shifting from place to place and talking with one another.

Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick.

Stahl, Sumia, and Vaike.

Miriel, Robin, and me.

That was all of us, the diplomatic force sent to Regna Ferox to request aid-

"Hi."

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unfamiliar voice. A swift glance around my surroundings didn't reveal any enemies, and I didn't hear the unearthly moaning of the Risen. So why... oh.

"Huh. I'd heard that you were hard to see, Kellam, but I didn't think that was true."

The clanking of armor, and then Kellam said, "I don't mind. Sometimes, even the Captain forgets about me. I've gotten used to it."

Now that I was focused on him, I could see the quiet knight. Dark hair, slightly curly, in bangs. Eyes hidden beneath an almost closed gaze. A large frame, tall and towering. The type that was made even more intimidating by the armor he was wearing.

It should have been impossible to miss him. Yet, even as I was looking at him, his form was... shimmering. No, that wasn't right. It was like... like my eyes were sliding off his form. Like when you stared at a white fan against a white ceiling, and eventually the fan just fades away as your eyes lose focus.

A strange thought occurred, and I couldn't help voicing it. "Tell me, Kellam. Are you a wizard?"

Silence, and then, "Wait... you can see me?"

It was really a lot like a 'notice me not' charm was described to be in the Harry Potter fanfics I had read... _Nah. That's just silly._

"You can, can't you? You're actually looking at my face... huh. That's a first."

I blinked. Someone was supposed to be standing there...

A sigh. "Or... not."

Something about a 'notice me not' charm... ah. Right. Those didn't actually exist. Just a convenient plot device created by fanfiction writers and made head canon, even though it was really fanon-

I stumbled as a towering suit of armor appeared at my side. No, not a suit of armor. _What was I doing again?_

"Just what do I have to do to get people to notice me around here?"

I blinked. _Kellam. Right. I had been talking to Kellam. Wow. That's some scary presence concealment there._

"You know," I said, making sure to keep my gaze on the knight's face. "You'd make a great thief or assassin, Kel- aaand he's gone."

A slightly frustrated voice. "I'm still here."

I flinched as he appeared in my field of vision yet again. _That's seriously disconcerting._

"I'd assume it is."

_Did I say that out loud?_

"Yes." Another sigh, but the words weren't quite so irritated. "But I appreciate the effort."

I blinked. "...Are you sure you're not a wizard?"

It had to be Legilimency. Some passive memory erasure spell or another. I'd never had memory lapses like that before, and it wasn't just a simple case of...

_What was I thinking about again?_

A sigh, and then someone said, "And he forgot about me again. Hm... maybe I should look into that. Being a wizard might get people to notice me..."

Was it a sigh I heard? _Maybe it was just the wind..._

I shook my head and doubled my pace. Maybe the exercise would help clear my foggy head.

xxx

After some more marching, we came across a wounded Pegasus. Sumia offered to stay behind and take care of it, like I remembered, and we carried on without her.

And then there was more marching. Grassy plains, dirt paths... and then finally snowy fields and a stone fortress appeared before us.

I'd be relieved, if not for the fact that Lissa was still clinging to my side.

"...How many more times do I have to say it, Lissa? Let go of my arm already."

"N-n-no! Y-y-you still di-didn't promise!"

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. _Really shouldn't have started a support with Lissa. _Maybe I could distract her with Lon'qu when he joins. The gynophobic swordsman should be more interesting to the blonde than me. And if he wasn't...

_I'll murder the innocent. Enough to become an anti-hero. Then, in all of the parallel universe that exist, in one of the Heaven's Feel Ritual, I'll continue to murder the innocent. Then, when all of the world around me has become a mountain of dead, I'll obtain that blood-soaked cup and force whoever was responsible for this into a male form, if he wasn't already. Then, I'll-_

"So this is the Longfort."

Robin's voice cut through my haze of dark thoughts.

"Yes," Chrom said. "The- wait, you know of it?"

The tactician nodded, though his gaze never shifted from the fort. "I'm... familiar with it."

Chattering teeth from beside me drew my attention back to Lissa, who still adamantly refused to let go of my arm.

I sighed. "Fine, Lissa. I promise not to do anything reckless anymore. Now will you please let go and head to the convoy so you won't freeze to death?"

"B-but i-it's so f-far..."

I sighed again and handed her my cloak. "Fine. Here."

_Stupid hero complex and good guy attitude._

Lissa was quiet the rest of the way there, either stunned by my gratitude or just too cold to talk, I wasn't sure. But in any case, we arrived at the towering gates, with the wind blowing and snowflakes billowing.

"Halt! Who goes there?!"

A severe blond woman in knight armor called out from above. Already, I could see guards mobilizing from across the tops of the fort, spears being readied.

I grabbed my sword. _Here we go..._

Robin should be aware of what would happen here. And since there hadn't been too many changes this early in the timeline, things would play out about the same.

Chrom's attempt at diplomacy. "In the name of House Ylisse, I seek audience with the khans!"

Her retort, and Frederick's attempt at negotiations. And then...

"You think you are the first 'Ylisseans' to try and cross our border?"

I saw more movement from above, and the glint of drawn steel.

The woman shook her head, and glared at Chrom. "I have the authority to fell such imposters-"

"You call us brigands, and now imposters?"

-And there was Robin's play.

The white-haired tactician stepped past Chrom, his face set in an expression that proved why he was the Avatar of Grima in the Future Past.

"Milord carries the Exalted Falchion itself, bears the Exalted Brand upon his very shoulder, and you _dare to call us imposters?_"

Robin's voice distorted, for a moment sounding just as I imagined Grima's would sound like. And then he raised his hand, a thunder spell already sparking at his fingertips. "We seek audience with your Khans, gatekeeper, and we cannot wait. It is a matter of life and death, and if you would bar our way..."

A moment of tension, one where Chrom looked like he wanted to grab Robin by the neck and demand to know what he was thinking. Where it seemed that steel would be the only key to reaching the inner realms of Regna Ferox.

Then the blonde woman smiled. "Very well."

The gates opened, and a guard emerged to lead us inside.

"...Well I'll be damned." I muttered. "I guess Regna Ferox really does thrive on strength and force over diplomacy."

Now we just had to win a tournament against Lucina, rush back to Ylisse and save Maribelle, save Emmeryn, beat Gangrel, beat Walhart, and then somehow kill Grima.

..._I should've just kept sleeping on those plains..._

* * *

><p>Omake:<p>

I glared at the white-haired tactician, my hand resting on the Runesword's hilt, itching to draw the cursed blade. "Why? Why did you decide to pair me up with Lissa? And I swear to all that exists, Robin, if you don't have a good answer I'll cut you down right now."

That damned smirk of his. "What, Mark? Sword hand twitching?"

I blinked. "Sword hand... twitching? Why does that sound-"

_Can't... control...!_

_Begone, fiend!_

_Hand... hungers..._

No. But... no. NO!

"ROBIN!"

The tactician easily dodged my attacks. "You're only proving my point, you know? Where else do you think Owain got his ideas?"

"Shut up! I refuse to let you ship me with Lissa!"

After a few more minutes of me attacking with righteous fury and Robin dodging like the cheap Avatar he was, I lowered my sword.

"You calmed down now, Mark?"

"Bastard."

He laughed, but then put on a serious face. "Well, if you really wanted to know why I keep pairing you with Lissa..."

I blinked. "Wait, there's actually a tactical reason for doing that? You're not just messing with me?"

Robin frowned. "I never do things without a reason, Mark. But anyway, the reason why I keep pairing you up with Lissa can be summed up in two words."

"Two words?"

He nodded, a smirk on his face. "RADIANT...!"

I raised my sword again, my patience reaching its end-

"Plot Armor."

"...What?"

"Plot Armor. It's one of your skills. Oh, and you give plus 99 to all stats."

* * *

><p>AN: More shenanigans in Fire Emblem Awakening! Hope that was a good read, and do leave a review if you think so. Still not sure where I'm going with this, but that's half the fun! Anyway, next time, **Twin Swords**.

Have some teaser dialogue!

"Einherjar... you mean like a Heroic Spirit?"

"That sword...?"

"I challenge my fate!"

"You... Lyn?"

_"Trace, on."_


	6. Twin Swords

Chapter 5: Twin Swords

After a long trek through the snow, we arrived at Castle Ferox. The 'official Ylissean diplomats' (Chrom, Frederick, Lissa, and Robin) followed Raimi (the blonde woman who'd been at Longfort) and went ahead to meet with the Khans in the throne room.

That left the rest of the Shepherds, including me, free to roam the castle until they were finished, which could range anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

I'd intended to use the opportunity to get to know the other Shepherds that I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to yet, but... "Of course. Leave the new guy alone by himself. Should've known that would happen."

The Shepherds were a tight-knit group. Obviously, that meant they were good friends. And when good friends were left alone in a new place without anything to do, they tended to break off into groups.

Vaike dragged Stahl along to find a combat area to spar, and Miriel had vanished somewhere with... someone. I couldn't remember who, but it was someone I'd met and who was a part of the Shepherds. She'd left with the mystery person mentioning something about 'fascinating mental erasure' effects.

That left me with... nobody.

I sighed and decided to go do some exploring. It wasn't going to be the first time we returned to Castle Ferox, so I decided that I might as well use the time to acquaint myself with the surroundings.

Contrary to Castle Ylisse, which had been brighter with marble everywhere, Castle Ferox was dim, with cold gray stone. Harsh, and yet regal in a subdued kind of way. The walls didn't shine with light, instead seeming to absorb it a bit, and the halls were dimmed in shadows.

To be honest, it seemed more like an elaborate stone fortress than a castle fit for royalty. At least that was the feel I was getting from walking around the place.

Bedrooms, stockrooms, storage places... I found a lot of those by peeking through the doors I passed by. Surprisingly, however, there weren't any people around. _Is the castle just a meeting place?_ The only guards we had seen were Raimi and those that met us outside. Could it be that this entire castle was a diversion of sorts? Or maybe Regna Ferox was so confident in their strength that they didn't care for

A sudden voice echoing through the empty halls drew me out of my thoughts. "For love and justice!"

"...Huh? For love and justice...?" I came to a sudden stop and turned my head back. I had just passed by a pair of double doors. It had seemed important, and I didn't want to act like a generic RPG protagonist with no disregard for privacy, looting through castle pots and the like, so I hadn't entered it. Even if it was already opened a crack. But now my curiosity was peaked and I took a step back, turning towards those doors.

"I am the pretty sailor suited soldier!"

I blinked. _That's... familiar. _

_"_In the name of the moon..."

I walked over to the doors and pushed them open-

"I'll punish... you?"

-and was utterly surprised. "...I have to admit, Sumia. I didn't expect to see you here."

The Pegasus knight was frozen in the middle of Sailor Moon's trademarked pose. A glance to the side showed a copy of the Sailor Moon manga _(how in the world did that get here?)_.

Sumia glanced at me, glanced at the book, and then flushed a deep red. "Th-this isn't what it looks like!"

I blinked again. First of all, there was the fact that Sumia was here in the first place, since I didn't remember seeing her get back yet. Then again, that was probably because I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Robin managed to get us out of a fight by threatening excessive fire power.

Second of all...

"What are you doing acting out a scene from a book in the middle of a foreign castle, Sumia?"

It was a bit reckless, and more than a bit confusing. Sure, the room was dusty and empty, looking like a storage room that hadn't seen the light of day for quite some time, but it was still in a place that someone could interrupt.

"W-well..."

She cast her eyes to the ground, shifting her right foot back and forth. "I... likepretendingi'mastorycharacter."

"You... like pretending you're the character of a story?"

I didn't catch all of it, since she had mumbled the last bit, but that's what it seemed she said.

With her face still red, she nodded. "It's silly, but..."

_Huh. That certainly explains Cynthia's heroic disposition. Must run in the family, I guess?_

I shook my head. "No, not really. I understand completely."

I was doing just that myself, after all, so judging her for that would be more than a bit hypocritical.

Sumia froze, and then tilted her head. "Really? You're... not kidding, are you?"

I smiled and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind me. "Of course not. I've done it a lot in the past, actually. When you come against something you can't do, I've found that it helps thinking about how a certain character would react, and use that as a model to go by."

The fact that I was doing that at the moment, albeit with a character I made myself, was left unsaid.

Even so, Sumia must have sensed my sincerity, since she relaxed a bit and picked up her manga _(seriously, just where did she get that?)_ and returned my smile. "Finally, someone who understands!"

I definitely wasn't expecting that outburst from her though.

"It's so great to pretend to be someone else, isn't it?" She sighed and clasped her hands together. "Someone beautiful, strong, heroic... it'd be great if I could be like that. Much better than plain old, clumsy Sumia."

I couldn't help but give her a wry smile at those words. "I understand completely. But you know, Sumia, it's good to pretend to be someone else... but it's even better to become them. To take the best traits of the characters you love for your own, and become greater than you were before you met."

Stories held power, that was something I knew for myself. The power to inspire, to change... to give a glimpse at something greater than yourself and leave you with brilliant aspirations.

...Of course that could have just been the fact that I was in a story myself that had me thinking that way.

Sumia's eyes lit up at those words, and I immediately had the feeling that I'd done something I'd regret later on, but before I could think about it, the door opened and a voice called out.

"Oh, there you are, Mark-" Robin cut himself off when he saw Sumia, and then smirked. "Again with the ladies? Lissa would be heartbroken if she-"

"Is there something you needed, Robin? Or did you just want to waste my time again?"

I was getting tired of the constant insinuations that I was flirting with girls. Sure, I found them all attractive, but that didn't mean I went out of my way to try to impress them or anything, like what Robin implied. The way he went on about it made me seem like... Virion.

I suppressed a shudder at that thought. Spouting poetry, an overly husky tone of voice, dramatic gestures...

"Well," Robin said, "Chrom was drafted to fight in a tournament as the East Khan's champion, and you, me, Frederick, and Lissa are going to be there to support him."

"The Captain's going to fight in a tournament?" Sumia asked.

Robin nodded. "It turns out that the Khan we met doesn't have the authority to send aid to Ylisse, so it looks like we're just going to have to get that for her."

I blinked. Robin was being awfully nonchalant about all this.

...Then again, he _was_ able to use high ranking spells from low ranking tomes because of his obscene magic level apparently...

_We might just be able to do this after all._

"Why can't we help?" Sumia frowned. "I mean... it's good to fight together, right? If Ch... if Captain's fighting, how come we can't fight too?"

Robin shrugged. "That's the rules we have to go by." With that said, he turned back to me. "The tournament's going to start soon, so unless you'd prefer spending time with the lovely Sumia here instead of warming up..."

Sumia's face turned a bright red at that comment.

_Damned Robin and that damned charming charisma of his... I swear, if this gets me into as much of a hassle as I have with Lissa..._

I sighed. "Just... lead the way already."

xxx

The arena we were to fight in was... I couldn't put into words how _epic_ it was. And I usually didn't use that word to describe things.

Screaming audience members, all itching for some excitement. Blazing torches lighting the stadium with soft orange and cloaking other portions in shadow. A huge cobbled floor with an ornate circular runic symbol of sorts in the dead center of the arena. Stone arches everywhere, like Roman Architecture of the olden days.

Before us, our enemies. Above us, the crowd and both Khans, watching with anticipation.

The battle had yet to start, but my heart was already pumping, beating like a war drum against my chest. Adrenaline already surged through my veins, giving my hands the soft tremor of excitement, my body trembling not in fear, but anticipation.

_This atmosphere is insane..._

It'd be impossible for me to keep a cool head here. There was just too much going on, too much hype, excitement, and thrill in the air for me to fight with a level head.

It would be me, Robin, Chrom, Frederick and Lissa against Lucina and whoever she had managed to get on her side. From the looks of it, our opponents seemed to all just be swordsmen. _That's different._

It was good news for us though. Good ol' Frederick would make short work of them.

"Listen up," Robin said. "Lissa, you stay behind and heal us from a distance. They don't have any ranged fighters, so you'll be safe there."

She nodded.

Robin smiled, and said, "I'll be counting on you to rescue us with your staffs when things get rough. We aren't fighting to kill, so it shouldn't come to that, but just in case..."

Lissa gave him a small smile in return. "Leave it to me!"

"Chrom, you'll be with me. Frederick and Mark... play it safe, but don't be afraid to engage. It's going to end up in a straight contest of skill, so just do your best."

Frederick nodded. "As you say, Robin."

"Gotcha," I said.

Lucina, or 'Marth' as she would still be going by, stepped forward and raised her sword against Chrom.

The distance between both sides was thirty feet, a brief sprint to reach the other end.

The roar of the crowd, and then the sound of a gong.

"Let's go!"

We charged, and the battle began.

xxx

I ran forward, my blade at my side and my heart pounding with anticipation. There was the clash of steel all around, and the sound of crackling electricity, no doubt from Robin. But all of that was filed away in the back of my mind, as I focused on the enemy rushing to meet me.

In the blink of an eye, a silver katana cut through the air in front of me, followed by a swordswoman with long green hair.

I parried the attack, only to find myself faced with another, my opponent moving so fast as to leave after-images where she moved.

_Fast._ It was far too fast for me to react. I didn't even have the time to switch into the style of fighting I had started to develop. Any openings I had were true, and there were far too many for me to even think of countering her.

Parry, dodge, block. That was the only thing I could do against the furious attack, but then-

_Pause._

Time froze. No, it was not that time froze, but rather that my mind had surpassed time. _Wait... what? _An instant eternity spanned as I rejected the reality in front of me.

I could see it all. _***'_s skill with her sword and the amount of damage she could take. Her health, strength, and speed. My mind broke down everything into simplistic numbers and calculations, and my body moved to adapt to her attacks.

_This feeling... it's not me._

A loose stance, with my sword held at my side. I knew how she fought, understood her style, range, strengths, weaknesses.

The next time her blade cut through the air, my own rose to meet it. It was her turn to be on the defensive.

A flicker of recognition and then surprise in her eyes _(a unique shade of green, like the grass on the plains...)_ and she jumped back, clearing the space between us in an instant.

"That fighting style and that sword... can it be?"

Pain, headache. My head was pounding with memories that weren't mine.

I started to say something, and then a different voice spoke, one that wasn't my own. "You... _Lyn?_"

A smile, bringing back memories of a lifetime ago _(a life not my own)_, and she nodded. "I finally found you... but now is not the time to reminisce. Come, let me show you how much I've improved over the years!"

She sheathed her sword, and then took a loose stance, standing to the side with her sword pointed away from me. But I knew that attack _(did I?)_ and did the same.

It happened in an instant, five attacks so fast that the air blurred. Five strikes parried and defended, but then I stepped forward and my sword was at her throat.

She tensed, as if she was going to continue the exchange, but then sighed and sheathed her sword. "You're the same as ever, Mark. I still can't beat you, can I? ...Fine, I yield. But don't think you can run off on me again like that! I won't forgive you if you do it again!"

I nodded _(I didn't)_ and watched as Lyn walked out of the arena.

_What the hell?_

When she was gone, it was like a fog had lifted from my mind. No... not a fog. It was more like I had woken up from a dream, one where I had been someone else, if only for a moment-

A pair of blades, white and black, cut the air in front of me, thrown with incredible force, and forced me to stop that train of thought.

Out of panicked reflex, I brought up the Runesword to block it, and managed to avoid being cut in half. That didn't stop my heart from trying to leap out of my chest though.

_Projectile weapons... bad. Remember to ask Frederick to train against them._

I looked up at the person who had attacked me and had to take a second look to be sure of who I was looking at.

It was a young man, either in his late teens or early twenties, with auburn hair set in.. not quite bangs, but close. It was ruffled, and went up in places almost like spikes, but not really.

The deflected blades swept through the air and back towards the man, who caught them with a fluid ease. Armed once more, he lowered his blades into a relaxed stance.

Familiar. There was something about his face, something about that stance... and then there were his blades. They were nothing like any swords I had seen here, or in Fire Emblem. Twin curved swords, black and white, patterned like yin and yang, that would return once thrown. I only knew of one pair of blades like those, and the one who wielded them.

_Those swords... no way. First Lyn, and now..._

I tightened the grasp around my sword. "...Who are you?"

It couldn't be... right? I was in Fire Emblem Awakening, in Ylisse. But then, if this place existed, who could say that other 'fictional' worlds didn't exist as well?

The man was silent, and I saw a hint of some unreadable emotion in his amber eyes, but then he said, "Shirou. Emiya Shirou."

And then he attacked, leaving no more room for discussion.

Up, down, left, right. Double arcs, cutting diagonally in both directions.

I realized for the first time the difficulties of fighting someone genuinely trained in dual-wielding.

It was impossible for me to approach. Even if I had the Runesword to heal me when I got injured, that only worked if I managed to land a strike on Shirou.

By that point, I had no doubt in the truth of his claim.

Emiya Shirou... the distorted survivor of a terrible cursed fire that wiped away everything he knew. The one cursed with the ideal of becoming a superhero, who did become a superhero in some timeline.

I didn't know which version I was facing, since he didn't look like he'd used much projection magic judging from his pale skin and pure red hair, but it was obvious that he was familiar with his blades.

A style based on inferiority. A style that allowed him to control the battle by leaving true openings to ruthlessly exploit the ingrained instincts in trained fighters. A style that was designed to allow him to fight beings beyond humanity, fight at a level above what a human should be capable of matching simply by using a mind of steel and calm battle analysis.

A style that he didn't even bother using when he fought me.

_He knows my every move!_

My own combat style had been based on his, a fake that was imitating the original. But unlike him, I didn't have the skill or distorted mindset to pull it off to his level. Not only that, but whatever plot device that had given me the necessary combat skills to fight Lyn had worn off, leaving me with only the skill I had learned on my own.

An inevitable outcome. My half-baked style couldn't hold a candle to the one earned by countless years of struggle.

My Runesword was knocked to the side, and I was knocked on my back. In an instant, Kanshou was at my neck, the black blade gleaming in the fire-lit arena. Shirou was looking at me with an unreadable expression, his eyes narrowed. His gaze flitted to the side, and he said, "That sword..."

"Mark!"

Lissa's voice called out, and then a flash of blue light enveloped me. The world blurred, and the next thing I knew, I was standing at Lissa's side. The princess was holding a staff with a green orb and what looked like silver wings beneath that. Her hands were white, knuckles pale from the death grip she had on the staff. "Thank Naga... I made it in time."

I shook my head, clearing it of the disorientation from being suddenly warped across the room _(how does that thing work, anyway?)_ and then turned my attention back to the battle still raging on.

"Looks like it's about over, huh?"

Between Frederick, Chrom, and a Robin who had apparently retained all of his skills from the future, the nameless fighters had been easily disarmed and knocked out. The only ones left still standing were Lucina and Shirou... _Huh. That's a thought. _

What if... what if Grima had been deemed a threat against Alaya and Gaia, or whatever passed for the embodiment of Humanity and the World here. The Outrealms already allowed one to travel throughout the different dimensions... and Lucina needed a 'hero' to help her save the future.

Did she manage to summon Shirou to help her? Was that why he was here?

The clash of steel. Frederick had broken off to engage Shirou, while Robin and Chrom teamed up against Lucina.

Surprisingly, Lucina was holding her own against the two. Shirou though...

Frederick managed to disarm one of Shirou's swords with his lance, the longer weapon giving him an advantage against even two swords... _Wait. Didn't Archer manage to hold off Lancer with that style?_

Shirou stepped back, seemingly staggering from Frederick's heavy thrust. Bakuya had been knocked away, leaving only Kanshou, the black sword, in Shirou's left hand. The red-head raised that sword above him, as if to block from an attack to his head- _wait._

I blinked. There was something about that stance. Something that I should remember... something dangerous.

Frederick stepped back, spinning his lance, and prepared to attack.

-It clicked. I remembered why Shirou's stance was familiar. The sword was different, and he shouldn't be able to use that technique. But then, I didn't know just which 'Shirou' this was. If this was one from Heaven's Feel...

"Lissa. Use your staff on Frederick."

The distance was too far. Chrom and Robin were locked in combat against Lucina and couldn't break off to help Frederick. I was at the opposite side of the arena, and I couldn't reach Frederick in time to warn him. No, even then I wouldn't be able to stop it.

"Eh? But Frederick's winn-"

"DO IT NOW!"

The urgency in my voice got through to her, and she raised her staff, the first words of a chant sounding out-

"_Trace, on._"

-but it was too late.

Frederick stepped forward, and Shirou confronted him by also stepping forward.

_"Nine Lives Bladeworks."_

It was over in an instant.

Upper arm, collarbone, windpipe, temple, diaphragm, rib, testicles, thigh, and a final thrust to the heart. Nine attacks at godspeed, so fast that they might as well have been overlapping.

Lissa finished her chant, and Frederick appeared in front of us.

...Frederick's armor managed to block the brunt of the assault, and a flash of light that I assumed must have been 'Pavise' triggering saved him from being completely torn apart. Even so, those wounds would be lethal if not treated soon.

_This wasn't supposed to happen._ Sure, it was possible for Frederick to get wounded in these early stages, and even lose all his hit points, but to be on the verge of dying like this...

No. The question was why Shirou was doing this. He was supposed to be a good guy, supposed to be on 'our' side. And Lucina wouldn't want to hurt Frederick, since the knight was so close to the royal family.

It was illogical. It was irrational.

It shouldn't have happened.

A strangled roar. Seeing Frederick cut down like that sent Chrom into a fury, and he knocked Lucina back with a heavy slash, sending the Parallel Falchion flying.

She landed with a loud thud, and muttered some words under her breath.

"Frederick... please be alright...!"

Lissa's pleading voice brought my attention back to more important matters. Namely the fact that Frederick was lying there bleeding out and Lissa was scrambling to heal him.

The knight coughed up some blood, but managed to put on a small smile. "Worry not milady. It will take more than some upstart like that to keep me down."

"Frederick..."

What could I say in this situation? What could I do?

As if sensing my hesitation, the knight shook his head. "At ease, Mark. You could not have matched him. There is no need to concern yourself over that."

It wasn't quite what I was thinking, but his reassurance helped anyway.

Frederick let out a sigh. "It was surprising. To think that the Khan had managed to find Einherjar to be his champions... 'tis a good thing indeed that Robin is so capable."

"Einherjar..." That was familiar, something important. _Wait._ "You mean like a Heroic Spirit?"

Frederick blinked. "Heroic Spirit...? I am unfamiliar with that term... but I suppose. Yes, the Einherjar are the spirits of heroes from the past given life once more as a boon from the planet, so they may be called Heroic Spirits. Though it appears that 'Marth' is not the true Hero King of the past."

The knight turned his head towards the battle, and I followed his gaze. The other enemies had been defeated, with only Shirou and Lucina remaining, the time traveller managing to retrieve her sword and join the battle again during the time I wasn't paying attention.

Like in the game, Lucina was dueling Chrom-

"I challenge my fate!"

-and apparently shouting out her battle quotes with every swing, the Parallel Falchion glowing as Aether triggered left and right.

"Predictable!"

But Robin was paired up with Chrom, and every attack performed by Lucina was countered with one of his own.

Even though it had only been a short time, Chrom and Robin were fighting with the synergy that would put most others to shame, a furious assault that showed just how talented the two were.

Had Lucina been alone, the match would have been decided long ago.

...But she wasn't.

It seemed that Shirou had moved to Lucina's side after Lissa rescued Frederick, and the Faker was fighting remarkably well with Lucina. It seemed that he was limiting himself, however, as he wasn't projecting any of his other Noble Phantasms, or using Nine Lives again.

Probably because it would end up killing Chrom, and Lucina wouldn't want that. And since he was fighting at her side, it seemed Shirou didn't want that either.

A stalemate, both sides evenly matched-

"It's time to tip the scales!"

-and then Robin swung his bronze sword and sent a devastating wave of electricity towards Lucina and Shirou _(is that even possible?)_.

They couldn't avoid it, as it had been too sudden and too close to dodge. Lucina and Shirou were sent flying back, bodies convulsing as the electricity swept through them, and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

Fortunately, it seemed that Robin had held back quite a bit, and the two only looked stunned.

The sound of a gong.

The tournament had ended.

Somehow, we had won, despite the odds against us. _Seriously, Emiya Shirou, Lyn, and apparently even more Heroic Spirits from what Frederick said? What did Lucina do, find the Holy Grail?_

That reminded me... now that the battle was over, I had to deal with Lyn.

Joy.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, that was a thing. Why is Shirou there? What the heck happened to me when I met Lyn? And why on earth is everything so screwy?

I suppose that's what happens when a writer gets thrown into a self-insert situation. Things tend to go out of hand, pretty fast.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my latest shenanigans in FE: Awakening! Remember to leave a review on your way out, and I'll see you all next time!

Guest Replies:

The Overgoat: It's not the bad timeline, but it's not quite the original game timeline either. Things are... complicated. As for Lucina calling Mark "Uncle" that's a secret that might or might not involve blood ties.


	7. A Heroic Encounter

Chapter 6: A Heroic Encounter

* * *

><p>After the tournament, the diplomatic party of Ylisse set off to negotiate with the new Khan. In other words, Robin, Frederick, Lissa, and Chrom went to go talk with Flavia.<p>

The rest of the Shepherds did whatever they were doing the first time around when we were at Castle Ferox.

I, on the other hand, was dragged away by an enthusiastic swordswoman the moment the battle was over. While Lucina and Shirou had vanished the moment the battle was over, as well as their friends, Lyn had immediately made her way towards me and insisted on coming along, saying that I wasn't going to leave her behind this time.

Now _that_ had gotten some... troublesome reactions. Robin for one let out that same amused smirk he always had around me lately, while the other Shepherds were confused or intrigued that I knew an Einherjar.

Chrom had just sighed and waved me away, saying that he had enough headaches to deal with at the moment.

And that was how I found myself taking a walk outside the castle courtyard with Lyn, as snow drifted down from above. Unlike the Shepherds and myself, she was dressed for the weather, wearing a fur lined jacket over a long dress. A similar outfit to what she had in the DLC, if I remembered right.

Lyn let out a soft smile and held her hand out, catching the snowflakes on her gloves. "This brings back memories... it's been so long since we've had the chance to walk in the snow like this."

"Lyn..."

I sighed, unable to bring myself to say what needed to be said. I couldn't let this misunderstanding go on any longer. It was both cruel and dishonorable to do so. But then, what could I say? She had been so happy, so filled with joy when she learned my name was 'Mark'.

Taking that away from her was just as cruel as continuing this charade.

"You had reassured me back then, just like this," Lyn said. "Do you remember? What you said to me that day?"

I shook my head, my voice catching in my throat.

She turned towards me, a bright smile on her face. "You said I should be proud of my blood. I had been worried about what my grandfather would think about me, and you said that if he couldn't see how 'beautiful, kind, and compassionate' I was, that he didn't deserve me."

_I remember that._ It was a scene from my story when Mark and Lyn had arrived at Araphen, when he first realized his feelings for Lyn.

But... that wasn't me.

"Lyn. I-"

She shook her head. "It's alright. You don't have to say it." Her smile faltered a bit, but remained. "It was a lifetime ago."

I was silent for a moment, but then sighed. _Why me, world? All of these troublesome events... _"Lyn. I'm not Mark."

She blinked, and then laughed. "You don't have to try and comfort me, Mark. It's alright if you don't-"

I shook my head. "No, I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding."

Again, it was cruel. The fate that I had in mind for 'Mark' after reaching Caelin... from Lyn's reaction, it seemed that it had come to pass. A 'wish' from outside her world, whose only purpose was to fade away after his role was complete, never to be seen again.

"I'm not the Mark you know. While we have... similarities, he and I are different individuals."

She was quiet, and then shook her head, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Did you lose your memories _again_? Is that why you-"

"Lyn. I am not Mark."

A helpless smile. I didn't know how else to put it. "He... I'm just someone taking his role, using his behavior as a way to pattern my own. No... that's not quite right."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

How could I put it? Mark wasn't me... and yet at the same time, a part of him _had_ been me. After all, I had been the one dictating his actions, writing his words, and his reactions. And at the same time, that had not been _me_, but someone else that I brought into being.

A glance at Lyn's expression showed she wasn't understanding either. It was clear that she was being hurt by my words though.

"How can I put this... I suppose you could say that Mark's a part of me, but not really me."

"Oh."

She lowered her head, but I could see the unshed tears in her eyes. "I just thought... after all this time..."

I let out a long suffering sigh and gave Lyn a hug.

She tensed at the sudden contact, but then relaxed and hugged me back.

"...I'm sorry, Lyn."

It was just too sad. The tale of the mysterious tactician who would only disappear after his battles were over. The girl on the plains who had waited for him.

I started to speak, to say something in regards to my blunder for having caused her pain, but then someone else spoke instead.

"_I_ _never meant to hurt you. If I could have stayed..._"

A fog. It wasn't me in control at that moment, and it definitely wasn't me saying those words. But it was, at the same time. A strange sense of duality that was both the truth, and a lie. No... not a lie, but rather _fiction._

A gasp, and Lyn started to pull back, but I found myself holding her tighter.

_"No... just for a little longer... Let's stay like this."_

A jagged breath, and the feel of wet tears on my shirt.

_...Who are you?_

A question I couldn't help but ask, even if I didn't expect an answer. But then-

_...Someone who never existed. But you already knew that, didn't you ******? _

-He answered me.

It was a soft voice, calm and intellectual, with the hints of charisma. Nothing like my own.

_Watch over her for me._

With those words, the presence was gone, and I had a crying girl in my arms.

...Of course because I was a noble idiot, I couldn't do anything but stand there until she finished, awkwardly patting her back.

And then Robin showed up, and I had to explain things to that smug dastard.

_I hate my life._

* * *

><p>"...I hate my life."<p>

Robin laughed and shook his head. "Just admit it already, Mark. You're a shameless philanderer!"

We were heading back to Ylisstol, having secured reinforcements from Regna Ferox for the Risen threat. In addition, Lon'qu had joined the party and ensured that Lissa wasn't paying much attention to me anymore, finding much more interest in the swordsman with the lady-phobia.

...That was probably the one good thing that resulted from the trip.

After the surreal heart to heart conversation with Lyn, the reincarnated hero had taken to following me around, as well as acting like my personal bodyguard. Of course, that had led to the questions of why she was doing so, especially since she had just dragged me off without explanation earlier.

That then led to her confessing that she had once fallen in love with someone who was a lot like me, whom I had actually known, but who had disappeared before she could say it. Because I was really similar to her said love interest, and because I had a lot of stories to tell her about his travels after they had met, Lyn had decided to stick around.

A majority of the Shepherds had bought that story, surprisingly enough. It seemed that they were all romantics at heart, and so ignored the rather obvious discrepancy in that story, namely that I hadn't been around a few thousand years back when Elibe still existed.

The only ones who didn't were Frederick, who apparently believed I was an Einherjar now, Chrom, who figured that it was too much trouble to deal with and ultimately unnecessary, and Robin, who thought the whole ordeal was completely hilarious. And to that end, he had managed to pull me aside for a 'strategy session', which he used for merciless teasing. And since Lyn was used to 'Mark' doing things like that in the past, she had left me alone with the guy.

"I am not!"

I crossed my arms and sent the white-haired tactician a harsh glare. "Besides, you shouldn't be talking Mr. Friendzone!"

He frowned in thought. "...Mr. Friendzone?"

_Oh, right._ I didn't know if he did that or not... though he seemed the type. Supporting all of the female cast to Rank A, with Rank S possible, but never going all the way... that seemed like the guy in front of me.

I sighed. "Nevermind."

He gave me an odd look, but I had a feeling that wouldn't be the last of it.

"So... tell me a bit more about Lyn," Robin said.

I was about to glare at him, when I saw that he wasn't teasing but being serious.

"I think I remember her... but I'm not sure," he said. "She's the same hero from the tales of Elibe, right?"

I started to nod, but then stopped halfway. "Not... really. I think she's from an alternate version of them."

Robin frowned, mulling over my words. "Alternate version...? Is she not the same Lyndis that was with Lord Eliwood and Hector who fought the Dark Sorcerer Nergal?"

"Do the tales mention anything about a tactician who helped them along their journey?"

Robin shook his head. "Not that I can recall."

_Huh... so the 'canon' version of Elibe is the one where you start off right on Eliwood's tale, it seems..._

"Well, in the version I'm familiar with, there was a tactician who helped the three lords along their quest. A bit like you and Chrom actually, except that he couldn't fight."

Robin nodded, and seeing that he was paying attention, I continued.

"There were a few variations to the story though. In one, it was said that his tactics were so brilliant he changed the course of history, such that two of the major powers went to war over him. In another, and the one I was most familiar with, he vanished without word when the final battle was over, never to be seen again. In that version, some even say that the tactician was doomed to repeat his time with the lords, either cursed by fate or higher powers, starting each cycle anew without any memories."

That last bit caused Robin to stop in his tracks, and he turned to me with wide eyes. "You don't think that the tactician-"

"It's not you if that's what you're thinking. For one, his hair was brown, not white. For another, you can actually fight."

"I see."

We walked in silence for a bit, Robin lost in his thoughts, and myself pondering the whole convoluted series of events that had taken place.

_Let's see... Robin remembering the future, which apparently involved a different version of me. Lucina apparently finding heroic spirits, both from Fire Emblem and elsewhere, to help her. Lyn being the Lyn from one of my fanfictions and not the canon version. And now we were heading back to Ylisstol, where Maribelle would probably already have been kidnapped. What's going to happen next, another 'Robin' appearing out of nowhere to save her?_

I scoffed at the thought of that. As ridiculous as things were, I doubted it would go _that_ far. Even if I was apparently in some bad fanfiction scenario... no,_ because _I was in some bad fanfiction scenario, something like that wouldn't happen.

"Hold on." Robin turned to me, his eyes lighting up in realization. "Are _you_ that tactician? Is that why she was so upset when I found you two?"

I sighed. "It's... complicated. I'm still trying to figure that out for myself."

Robin frowned. "How would it be complicated? You either are, or you aren't."

"And what about you? Are you Chrom's mur-"

"That wasn't me." A steely response. Robin cast a quick look around to make sure no one had heard, and then sent me a glare. "It was Grima."

"And isn't that guy really a part of you after all, even if you don't want him to be?"

"I don't see how-" Robin blinked, and I could almost hear the gears in his head turning.

I waited. Smart guy that he was, it shouldn't take him long to figure out.

"Oh. So you mean that..."

"Like I said, it's complicated."

* * *

><p>When we got to Ylisstol, the usual group went off to the palace to meet with Emmeryn, namely Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, and Robin. The rest of us Shepherds headed to the garrison-<p>

"This does not seem like much of a military base, Mark."

-and again, the others ditched me to do something else, leaving me with Lyn. _I should probably get to know some of the others... _ They were all interesting people, after all. And besides, being left out like that was... kinda sad.

I shrugged in response to Lyn's statement. "They used to have an attached barracks to the castle, but this place was donated to their use. Lissa probably had a say in moving here though, considering she didn't really like the last place."

"I see..."

There was an awkward silence after that. It seemed that Lyn didn't know how to react around me, and to be honest I didn't know how to react around her either.

With that awkward air hanging about us, I walked around the castle and pointed out the important places to Lyn. Along the way, she remained quiet, though she smiled at the small anecdotes I put in here and there, visibly brightening when I showed her around.

Eventually, we reached the mess hall, where the Shepherds hung out between training and other things.

I reached for the door, but it opened before I could grab it, and someone walked into me.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, bub!"

I blinked, mainly because _I_ was the one who was hit hard. Those doors swung out, not in, and I'd just been personally introduced to the ornamentation on the door.

"Mark! Are you alright?"

Lyn was at my side in an instant, helping to steady me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit rattled."

I shook my head and looked at the one who had hit me. A familiar red-head, with her hair tied up in a short ponytail behind her. Anna, the recurring figure in the Fire Emblem series, with a family tree apparently similar to the Nurse Joys in Pokémon. That is, many sisters and cousins all named 'Anna' and look identical.

She frowned. "Hold on. Did you say Mark?" She turned to Lyn, her eyes wide. "And you're Lyn! My cousin's told me all about you two!"

"...Anna?"

Lyn looked at the woman with wide eyes. "But how?"

"Oh, no no. I'm not the Anna you're thinking of. That's my cousin, Anna."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off the growing headache. "Yes, that's good and all, Anna. But I was showing Lyn around, so could you-"

"Hold on, bub." Anna reached into her bag. "I've got something here for you from my cousin. Now where was it...? Ah, here it is."

She handed me a small card.

"...What's this?"

It was like a bank card, but had the words 'Renown' and 'VIP' on the front and back. It was made of a strange material that seemed to shimmer as the light caught it, showing a small rainbow across its surface.

Anna shrugged. "She said you dropped that off with her at the gate, and that you might be wanting it back."

"...Thanks?"

It wasn't familiar at all, and I don't remember ever meeting Anna's cousin, or seeing that 'Gate' she was talking about. It was confusing, but at least I got confirmation of the Outrealms. And it looked like using this would be the key to accessing all the Einherjar and other things Robin told me about.

_Now if only I could figure out how this works..._

Before I could dwell on it, there was the sound of footsteps clambering down the hallway and voices.

"He's not here? Are you sure?"

"Yes! He said there wasn't any time to wait and rushed off by himself!"

I blinked and turned towards the voices. _That sounds like Robin and Lissa._

Robin gave a brief nod towards Lyn and Anna, and then turned to me and said, "Mark. Have you seen Ricken anywhere?"

I frowned. "No... I don't think so. I've been showing Lyn around the place, and I didn't see him anywhere."

Robin ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't good. Maribelle's been captured by Gangrel, and Lady Emmeryn sent a request to parley with him to get her back. We were just about to head out, but it seems that Ricken 'jumped the gun' as you would say."

"...I say that?"

Robin just gave me a look, and then sighed. "Just get your stuff. We have to leave."

* * *

><p>It was a frantic group of Shepherds that headed off towards the Ylissean border. Thankfully, there hadn't been any Risen to impede our progress. In fact, they seemed to have practically vanished off the face of the planet... it was odd.<p>

Robin was going over his contingency plans, factoring in the fact that Ricken had rushed on ahead. It was mostly the same in terms of events, but the time-table would be crucial. If Ricken managed to get there first and save Maribelle before we arrived, it was extremely likely that both would die and Ylisse would be at war with Plegia regardless.

Thankfully, Ricken hadn't taken a horse, apparently too much in a rush to think clearly, so we still had a chance.

We finally arrived at the mountainside around noon the next day.

All of the Shepherds were present, which included Donny I found out. It seemed that he had been recruited while we were at Regna Ferox.

As expected, Gangrel and Aversa were present. Emmeryn went along with her approach of diplomacy, being the kind-hearted individual she was.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't work.

"...Any ideas on how we're going to do this, Robin?"

Being the two who had an idea of how things would play out, Robin and I were off to the side, having running over any plans before things went blew up in our faces.

"...Have you managed to figure out how to summon your Einherjar yet?"

I shook my head slightly, keeping my eyes on the scene unfolding. "I think I have the key to it now, but no, I haven't."

Gangrel had brought Maribelle out and was claiming that she was the one who had crossed over the border. Of course, she denied that.

Robin frowned. "Looks like we're going with a straight up battle then. Think you can get to Maribelle with Lyn?"

"Can't you just have Lissa 'rescue' her?"

He shook his head. "Too far. I might be able to manage it, but I haven't explained things to Chrom yet, and Frederick's already suspicious."

_Of course... that'd be too easy, wouldn't it?_

"Lyn? What do you think?"

As always, she was standing by my side. She had been respectfully quiet, realizing the importance of our discussion.

"...I believe we can do it." She gave me a small smile. "The two of us have never had trouble rushing into enemy forces before."

Robin nodded. "As long as you can do it. Things should work out if you can hold them off for a few moments." He frowned. "Now, if only Ricken would show up..."

Chrom suddenly cut down one of the Plegian guards that had rushed towards Emmeryn.

"...And now our time's up." Robin muttered.

Gangrel laughed, reminding me a lot of the Joker in the way he grabbed at his face and threw his head back, and then said. "Now that's a declaration of war if I ever saw one!"

Chrom stepped back, his face set in a grimace, but determined to protect Emmeryn. "You won't lay a hand on her or the Fire Emblem, Gangrel!"

Robin nodded towards me and held up three fingers.

I sighed and drew my Runesword. "Lyn?"

"I'm with you."

Gangrel straightened, looking down upon us from his place at the top of the mountains and said, "Fine, fine. We'll have it your way, little prince!"

Two.

He waved his arms, and soldiers spilled out from hidden places, showing that we were vastly outnumbered.

...Of course that didn't matter. Even if we were in Lunatic+ mode, we had an end-game Robin with all of his skills on our side. Probably some enemy-only skills as well, considering what I'd seen so far.

One.

"Get'em, boys!"

I charged, with Lyn at my side. Robin shouted out orders to the rest of the Shepherds, primarily focused on protecting the Exalt, and above I saw Ricken blast Aversa with wind magic.

Events were unfolding just as they should, despite the minor changes. Of course. There hadn't been any major chances to change things. Though the scenes were different, the acts remained the same.

Lyn and I cut through the enemies before us. Strangely enough, my body seemed to have a mind of its own while fighting by her side, and the two of us fought with perfect synergy. _...Is that guy's memory strong enough to affect my body even when he's gone?_

It wasn't 'me' fighting like this, after all. No, it was more of a subconscious instinct, like those rare moments when predict an outcome of a game of chance without thinking. The more I thought about it, the worse I fought. The less I thought, the better.

It was frustrating, but useful. _At least I won't be getting hurt anytime soon..._

"On your left!"

I immediately dodged right, and Lyn cut down the swordsman that had sprung out from the trees.

We were halfway there. I could see Maribelle and Ricken up ahead. But unlike in the game, while those two had retreated into the woods to avoid the enemy, there were a lot more people here with Gangrel.

We wouldn't make it in time.

"Lyn, hurry!"

We had to. I couldn't let them die. If there was someone in front of me I could save, I couldn't let them die.

Lyn cut down a volley of arrows headed towards us. "I am trying!"

There were just too many. Despite the skills that made her an 'Einherjar' or Heroic Spirit, there were just too many. After all, she was still 'human', even if she was a legendary figure. And she also didn't have any legendary weapons, like her Mani Katti, or Sol Katti.

A squad of soldiers lay in front of us. Unlike the ones we had fought along the way, they had wised up to our actions. It seemed they had realized we were trying to rush past, and so they had changed plans. As they had the higher ground, they took an inverted 'v' formation.

Behind them, another squad of soldiers were heading towards Maribelle and Ricken.

We couldn't break through. Not in time, anyway.

The soldiers were no obstacle. With Lyn at my side and my conveniently increased combat skills _(this is really starting to get suspicious...)_ we could kill them all without a scratch.

But there wasn't enough time. The delay would only be another minute, but in that minute Maribelle and Ricken would die.

Irritation. _Like hell!_

I swung my Runesword, and a wave of dark energy spilled out, turning half of the soldiers into dust.

The shock from my sudden attack was enough for Lyn to take care of the rest, and we ran past them.

...But it was too late.

The soldiers had already reached them. By the time we caught up, Maribelle and Ricken would already be dead. Even if we somehow managed to reach them in the next few seconds, and attack, there would still be enough time for them to kill the defenseless magic users.

_Faster!_ I couldn't let them die. Not just because they were important, but because they were _right there_! I could save them! They were _right there_! I couldn't let them-

"Thoron."

The spell came from out of nowhere.

One moment, there had been no one there, and the soldiers were going to attack Maribelle and Ricken. In the next, there was a giant blast of electricity so intense it turned the soldiers into dust.

I came to a screeching halt. _Was that Robin? No, that blast was too strong even for him. _

Beside me, I heard Lyn come to a stop as well. "...That was not you, was it Mark?"

"No. No, it wasn't."

Still, I wasn't going to question divine intervention. With all of the other weird things happening to me-

"Are you two safe?"

A man, one with white hair the same shade as Robin's. A tome in his right hand, marked with a simple thunderbolt, and an all too familiar tactician cloak with purple eyes... He appeared out of nowhere and addressed Maribelle and Ricken.

"Y-yes, thanks to you."

Ricken's relieved response.

I narrowed my eyes, and gestured for Lyn to follow. It seemed that the man hadn't noticed us yet.

"Good. Then I'm done here." With that, he turned towards me, and I could see his features completely.

Like I thought, he had white hair the same shade as Robin's. Not only that, but the cloak was the _exact same_ as the one Robin wore, if not more tattered.

...But he wasn't Robin.

A worn face, covered in scars and creased with age. Dark eyes that seemed to almost glow with power.

He looked at me and his face twitched into a smile.

"So you're Mark, huh? Funny. You don't look the part."

"...Who are you?"

Tense. Without realizing it, I had tensed up. There was something about the man in front of me, something about his presence that put me on edge. Like my very existence was being threatened just from being near him. Like it would be all too simple for him to just reach out and _end_ me.

Lyn must have noticed my tension, because she placed a hand on my shoulder and stepped forward in a wordless challenge to the man.

The man shrugged. "Somebody, nobody. But if you want a name... you can call me Rufure. Now, if you kids don't mind, I have a mad dog to put down and some soldiers to kill."

Before I could do so much as blink, a dark glyph appeared beneath him and he had vanished.

_A mad dog...?_

A blast of thunder, as if the heavens themselves were tearing apart.

I spun around, just in time to see the sky light up-

"Thordain."

-and then divine lightning erased the Plegian soldiers.

* * *

><p>AN: More shenanigans in FE Awakening! Behold, more chaos unfolding as Mark tries to figure out what the hell is going on in the universe!

Who's this 'Rufure' character?

What's going on with Mark?

What are we going to do now that canon has literally been blasted to bits?

I dunno, but it's going to be a wild ride from this point, I can say that!

* * *

><p><em>Excerpt from Old Hubba's journal.<em>

_...Outrealmer. Those drawn into the world are released by Fate, and become able to change it, for better for worse. Granted strength through a contract signed upon entry, wish fulfillment, or a boon from a greater power, they are wildcards that inflict 'chaos' upon the world's 'order's._

_There are multiple types, the most common being 'Dreamers', 'Travelers', and 'Fragments'._

_Dreamers are those who have chanced upon the world, and through circumstances of fate or coincidence, find themselves in a dual existence. In the end, they must choose one world, lest they fall between the cracks and are lost to eternity._

_Travelers are those who arrive in the world through the influence of a higher power. A contract is usually involved, and failure to fulfill it will lead to dire consequences. The impetus for arriving is usually death in their home world and a higher power intercepting their soul on a whim to play out a role in another world, though they may just be those who have arrived in another world through various circumstances._

_Fragments... they are those that should not exist. Contradictory beings that are formed from the wishes of those who have been to many worlds, who have created worlds with their own will and desires. They are beings that are whole, and yet are not. Souls that have broken off from the origin, and yet remain true to the purpose._

_While all Outrealmers shift the balance and possess the potential to shatter fate as wildcards inflicting 'chaos' to the orderly future, 'Fragments' are the most dangerous of them all. Unlike Dreamers and Travelers, they are not ordinary souls. Fluctuating existences, they tear apart the boundaries between worlds, applying a 'logic' to the world they arrive in that does not belong._

_Behold the Dreamer._

_Beware the Traveler._

_But above all... fear the Fragments, for they will lead to the end of existence itself._


	8. Changing History

Chapter 7: Changing History

* * *

><p><em>What the hell.<em>

I couldn't describe it.

_Thordain?!_

The battlefield was devastated. All of the enemies, the Plegian soldiers, Aversa, even Gangrel himself were gone. The only signs that they had even been there in the first place were scorch marks on the ground and piles of ash. Even then, those were already fading away as the wind gathered them up.

Even Lyn, who had faced fire breathing dragons in her time, was stunned.

"...Mark. Did that... did that man just call forth the thunder of the gods?"

A sky full of divine thunder, a spell that I clearly recalled. The ultimate lightning spell from Dragon Quest, given only to those in the 'Hero' class, one chosen by the gods themselves to combat the big bads of the games. Something that shouldn't exist, and far too powerful in the context of Fire Emblem.

"I... I don't even know anymore."

It didn't make sense. Hell, nothing made sense anymore.

Emiya Shirou. Lyn being the one from my own fanfic rather than the original. Robin remembering his memories from the future and being able to cast Thoron with a thunder tome. And now a random guy out of the blue called 'Rufure' that could cast Thordain, a spell from Dragon Quest?

The mountains were silent, as the Shepherds and Emmeryn's guards tried to make sense of what had just happened-

"MARK! Get over here!"

-and then Robin's voice called out, causing me to be the center of attention.

I felt numb, but I did as he said and walked towards the tactician, Lyn helping me steady myself along the way.

Maribelle and Ricken followed us, but I only barely acknowledged them.

_What the hell._

* * *

><p>"What in Grima's name happened out there, Mark?!"<p>

We had managed to make it back to Ylisstol without much trouble. No Risen, no Plegians... of course. There wasn't anything to bother us in the first place, so arriving back without trouble was inevitable.

As was Robin's hysterics and him pulling me aside to interrogate me the moment we reached the castle.

The tactician ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth along the cobbled floor of the war room.

"...Should we be talking about this with them here?"

I gestured towards the two sitting in the center of the war room, Chrom and Emmeryn.

Robin gave them a dismissive wave. "I already told them everything. Not that it matters anymore now that Gangrel _and_ Aversa have died."

I turned towards the two. "You... believe us, right?"

Chrom shrugged. "You two have done nothing wrong, and even worked in our best interests." He frowned. "I can't say I'm not upset that you haven't brought it up sooner, but I can understand why you two hid it."

Emmeryn nodded. "Indeed. It is a most fascinating tale, but you need not worry. Robin has more than given us enough assurance of your story."

That comment made me wonder just what he told them, but I ignored it for now.

We had to sort out what was going on.

"Well, we met someone called Rufure. At least I think that was his name, right Lyn?"

She nodded. "Yes, that is what he called himself." She frowned. "He also stated that he was 'someone and no one'. As to his appearance, he was not unlike yourself, Robin, save older... though I do not believe he was a future version of you."

Robin let out a long breath and took a seat. "This is bad. Not only do we have to deal with Grima, Walhart, and all the other problems, but now we have another person running around, with magic strong enough to wipe out an entire platoon of soldiers in one go."

It was bad. No matter how you put it, our situation had taken a turn for the worse.

"...What do we do now?" I asked.

Robin sighed. "I don't know. There are too many variables, too many things that have changed. Validar might still appear tonight and try to kill Emmeryn, or he might not. With Gangrel dead, he might decide to just claim his seat as the Plegian king, however he did it last time."

"So... we play by ear?"

Robin nodded. "We just have to stay vigilant." He turned towards the two of the Exalted line and said, "Lady Emmeryn. You should stay in your room tonight, as well as increase the number of guards. Chrom, you'll be with me. Mark... I don't know. Do whatever you think you need to do. You'll have a better perspective on things than I do. Just be careful. And Lady Lyn, make sure to keep an eye on him. He can be a bit... reckless at times. Understood?"

I blinked. _Whoa._ There was no doubting Robin's military prowess here. Was that how the Veteran skill transferred over into reality? Complete confidence, a no nonsense tone of voice. Clear orders. _He's more like a general than a tactician... scary. _

Nods all around, and then Robin said, "Alright. Then let's go. Be careful everyone."

* * *

><p>I was walking through the castle. Lyn was... somewhere. Probably nearby, but if she was, she didn't make her presence known.<p>

I had needed time alone. Time to think my way through this madhouse, the wonderland I found myself in after falling down the rabbit hole.

This wasn't right. Nothing was right. Life was completely out of whack now.

More than just clichéd, this world I found myself in, this role I found myself playing had become more like a surreal nightmare than a self insert fanfiction.

Pieces and fragments from fictional worlds I remembered were ending up in _this_ world. And there was no way that was a coincidence. If it was a coincidence, there would be other things here, things I didn't know. But so far, everything that was not from 'Fire Emblem' was from something that I knew. And not just something generic either, but from what 'I' knew, what I had created.

The Runesword I was wielding was something that 'Mark' should have. Lyn was from my fanfiction. Shirou... I wasn't too sure how he fit, but it was obvious he wasn't a canon Shirou since he had used Nine Lives without Berserker's axesword. And now this 'Rufure' person who could cast Thordain.

Was this my fault?

_If you wish to upset the balance so much..._

Naga's words came to me. That was right. She had warned me of what would happen. This chaos... the responsibility was mine and mine alone. I didn't know how, but my presence here had distorted reality to this extent, had caused all this mayhem.

Gangrel was dead. This early, I didn't know how that would affect things. Aversa was dead as well. As Validar's right hand, I had no doubt that it would change things for the worse, not the better.

And then there was the question of Grima. As the Fell Dragon, there was no way that he didn't know what was happening. If Naga could detect my presence, then Grima could as well, as they were said to be equals.

Now that Naga had withdrawn, and with all of these changes, what would he be doing? And was he even still here in the first place? Robin remembered his memories, so it was clear that Grima had tried to take over. But where was he now?

"Gragh... this is stupid."

I stopped in front of a window and stared outside.

A breathtaking view. A medieval city and mountainscape in the distance. A setting sun and radiant scene. It was beautiful, and yet it was completely ridiculous.

"...Why couldn't it just be simple?"

Completely out of my depths. I didn't know how I got here, but I wanted to help. And along the way, it turned out that everything was completely messed up. Completely destroyed from canon events, as well as unpredictable in every way.

I should have never gone with them. I should have ignored them. Maybe, maybe if I had done that, it wouldn't be this way.

I sighed and pressed my head against the window, letting the cool pane settle my mind. Not thinking, just... there. I was overwhelmed, so I didn't bother trying to resist that feeling. I just let it settle over me, and stared at the setting sun.

I went undisturbed. Probably because the castle was in high alert tonight, and that Robin was struggling to make sure no one died.

"Are you Mark?"

Someone called out to me. A female voice.

I ignored it. Hell, what did it matter anymore? I just wanted to fade away. Just... stand there. Not thinking, not doing anything.

I could already tell that things were going to go bad. And I couldn't help anyone. Sure, Robin believed in me. Sure, I knew a possible future. But being capable of helping them, of preventing people from dying...

I couldn't deal with it.

A hand on my shoulder.

I sighed and turned towards it. "What do you want-"

I blinked.

She was someone I hadn't met yet, and yet was someone familiar. I said her name without thinking. "Cordelia?"

Cordelia looked stunned, but then her expression smoothed into a smile. "I see introductions won't be needed. Er... you are Mark, correct?"

I nodded, though inwardly cursed my impulsive nature. "Yes, I am. Was there something you needed?"

She nodded. "Yes, Sir Robin sent me to take you for some training. He said it might help you take your mind off of things."

I frowned. It was good that Robin was so concerned, but why would he send Cordelia, I wondered._ Well, I guess it doesn't really matter._

Cordelia was supposed to be a genius, so it would help to train with her. I nodded. Yes, it would be good to do some training. The current me... though I liked to imagine myself in situations like the one I was in, that was always with me being completely overpowered, with the ability to triumph against all and any opponents.

_How naive._

I smiled at Cordelia. "Lead the way."

* * *

><p>Cordelia led me to the castle courtyard. Along the way, she told me a bit more about herself. How she was a Pegasus knight in training. How her seniors made fun of her, calling her a 'genius' that didn't need to put in any hard work.<p>

I replied at the right times and was sympathetic, but didn't put much effort into the conversation.

The reason for that would be... it was a bit too painful.

I had said it before, but all of the women in this world were beautiful. Of course, it didn't apply to just women, as I could say objectively that there weren't any 'ugly' people in this world.

Anyway, Cordelia was also beautiful. But that wasn't why it was painful. I wasn't the type to get too flustered around women. No... it was that she reminded me a bit too much of someone I once knew. It was already the case when I played the game, but actually meeting her...

I let out a long breath, though it came out more like a sigh.

_I thought I had gotten over it already._ It had already been years since that happened, but it seemed that meeting someone like her was enough to bring up memories I'd long suppressed.

"Ah, I apologize if I'm boring you..." Cordelia said.

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. I just... have a lot on my mind at all." I meant to assure her, but it didn't come out as I wanted it to, as I couldn't look her in the eye.

I felt her eyes on me, and she nodded. "Well, let's spar then. I've always found the feel of a sword or lance in my hands to help clear my mind."

She handed me a wooden sword. Before I could question how she got it, she had her own wooden sword in hand.

"Both Sir Robin and milord Chrom said that you were skilled with the blade... is that true?"

I gave her a wry smile. "...A little."

Borrowed skill was more like it. Mark... it seemed that I would be borrowing his name for a while longer.

Cordelia nodded. "Good. I've no need to hold back then."

"Wait-"

Before I could protest, a wooden sword was in my face.

I barely jumped backwards in time. But even then, Cordelia had stepped forward, closing the distance, and swung her sword at my head again.

"You're open!"

I parried it. But I could already tell that I was in trouble. Fighting Risen was one thing. Training with Frederick was another. But Cordelia was on a whole different level.

_Damn it... you're a Pegasus knight, not a myrmidon! Fight like one!_

That thought ran through my mind as I dodged another sword strike.

In hindsight, it was obvious that Cordelia would be a good swordswoman. She was a 'genius' after all, and change seals didn't magically impart skills. At least I think they didn't.

"Defending alone won't win you battles!"

Cordelia scolded me and stepped in for another attack.

_Easy for you to say..._

She was scary good. Every attack was smooth, and parrying them made my arms feel numb from each blow.

She was also right. I wasn't skilled enough to win by waiting for a counterattack. At the moment, I could keep up simply because I knew how weak I was and knew enough to block the easiest targets. I still got hit, of course, but for the most part they were glancing blows.

It seemed that Cordelia knew that as well, since she wasn't letting up in her attack at all.

I wouldn't win unless I attacked. But... I didn't want to.

I sighed and let my sword get knocked to the side with her next strike. In a flash, her sword was at my throat, and I was pressed against the wall-

_Hold on. When did that happen?_

For a moment, I thought that it was another of those odd quirks from the game that transferred in a strange way to reality, but a glance behind Cordelia showed a line of trampled grass where our battle had led us.

It wasn't that we had teleported or anything, but rather that I was just too focused on not getting hit to realized Cordelia had continued advancing while I retreated, until we reached the stone wall of the courtyard.

"Why do you not fight back, Mark?"

Cordelia's words brought my attention back to my current situation. Namely the fact that I was pinned against a wall with an attractive woman in front of me.

Any other guy would be glad to be in my position. I was also aware that this situation was something horribly clichéd, and something that reeked of poor writing and wish fulfillment.

But that was something I only barely noticed. The fact was that my mind was elsewhere.

_Why don't you be serious for once!_

I pushed her away.

"...Thanks for the spar. Sorry to trouble you."

"Eh?"

Clamp down on the memories with an iron vice. Tear them apart by imagining a black hole. Scatter them across the universe where they won't return.

It didn't matter anymore. It doesn't matter anymore.

"Hold on, Mark-"

I walked away. I couldn't look at her, not without remembering _her_.

...Was that what Robin planned? Did I tell him about her in the future?

_No, it doesn't matter._

Cordelia grabbed my shoulder. "Mark! I don't know what I've done, but-"

Irritation.

I brushed it off. "Leave me alone. I'm thankful for your concern, but I... just leave me alone."

I ran off, not giving her the chance to follow.

"Mark!"

She shouted, and I doubled my pace to leave her behind.

And then a blade went for my throat, a cloaked figure suddenly before me.

"Uncle Mark!"

At the same time, I was knocked aside and a swordsman with blue hair clashed against my would-be assassin.

"What- Lucina?"

The mask was gone, and the Exalted Heir was dressed like she did after the reveal.

The clash of steel in the distance and the sound of crackling electricity. Turning towards them, I saw Shirou fighting alongside Robin as Chrom protected Emmeryn.

_Why are they out here?_

Shouldn't they be inside? Tonight was the night that Validar tried to kill Emmeryn, wasn't it? So why was she outside?

"Are you alright, Uncle?"

I blinked and got to my feet. Right. Lucina was here... and Uncle?

"Hold on... why are you here, Lu- Marth?"

She gave me an odd look, but then shook her head. "Lucina's fine. I'll explain later, but essentially there's been a change of plans."

She looked at Cordelia, who was approaching, and nodded. "I'll leave you in her care for now. Be careful, Uncle."

"Wait-"

Before I could say anything else, she dashed off into the castle.

...Why did people keep leaving before my sentences were done?

I shook my head and turned back towards Cordelia.

"Mark, are you injured?"

"No, I'm fine."

Just my pride and mental stability was damaged. Of course, it had been that way for a while now, so...

"Can you fight then? It looks like Sir Robin's predictions came true."

I sighed. "Of course I can... and predictions? Tch... of course he would know something like this would happen. How, I have no idea, but that Robin _is_ too smart for his own good sometimes..."

I drew my Runeblade and looked around. It seemed that the battle had moved back indoors. Me and Cordelia were the only ones left in the courtyard.

"Let's go," Cordelia said. "Milord and the Exalt might be in danger."

* * *

><p>It was a confusing and frantic dash through the dark castle corridors. With Cordelia by my side, we fought through an assortment of both Risen and Plegian soldiers.<p>

It was disconcerting, since there were far too many enemies for this to be a simple assassination attempt. If anything, it was more like a full on invasion...

"To your left!"

Cordelia called out, and I swung my sword without hesitation, cutting down an undead swordsman.

"How many of the enemy are there?"

It was ridiculous. All around, I could here the sounds of steel and crackling magic. Thankfully, due to Robin's paranoia and fast acting, it didn't look like we had taken any casualties. There were some wounded on our side that I could see, but the only corpses were the Risen and Plegians.

But that begged the question... just why were they here?

Were the Plegians taking revenge for Gangrel's death? But he had been a tyrant, hadn't he? An oppressive king whose people would abandon him after Emmeryn's sacrifice?

So that wasn't the reason.

And then there was the fact that Lucina was here, and had discarded her disguise.

...Was Grima on the move? That was the only thing that made sense, really...

I was knocked to the ground. Cordelia was on top of me.

I was seriously confused for a moment, but then the surge of dark magic swept past where I had been moments prior.

"...Hmph. So you are the one Lord Grima desires dead."

A low voice, menacing and eerie.

I didn't know who it belonged to, but when I looked at the source, there was no mistaking that man for anyone else.

"Validar..."

Cordelia got off of me in a swift roll and stood before him, her sword raised at Validar's face. "Who are you?"

_I've already said his name..._

I suppressed my sigh and got to my feet, all the while wary of another attack from Validar. Fortunately, it looked like he was the only enemy here.

Robin's evil father narrowed his eyes. "Hmph. Lord Grima warned me of you as well... your son will be a nuisance. Perhaps I should end you now to save him the trouble."

Danger. I didn't know what he was talking about, but it was clear that he intended to kill Cordelia.

Gathering mana, and darkness emerging from his tome of _Grima's Truth._

Cordelia advanced, wary, but intending to cut Validar down before his spell finished.

Not enough. As skilled as she was, she was clearly not on the same level as Validar, who was empowered by Grima's Truth.

He easily avoided her attack, stepping smoothly to the side.

Cordelia's eyes widened, realizing her mistake.

Validar smirked and swung his hand, darkness gathering to strike Cordelia down.

Again, that moment of weakness. I saw it all. I knew what was going to happen. But I didn't move. I was there, but I was too slow. The exchange had taken place in seconds. Seconds too fast for me to act.

I was moving, but it was too slow.

I had acted, but it was too late.

"I won't let you!"

I said those words and I charged, putting all my strength into my legs.

I would make it. I was here, and she was in front of me, so I could save her. There had to be a reason for me to be in this world, and that reason was to save them. Even if things had gotten out of hand, I could do it.

A self-insert. A bad fanfiction. I was in one, right? Right. So I could save her. Even if I didn't have any powers right now, it would appear as the plot demanded. I believed in that, so I ran.

Cordelia would live. I would cut Validar down. Robin and Chrom would arrive in time for us to go over future plans. Barring that, someone else would interfere in this battle to save her.

That was the image I had in my head. The absolute truth that I knew would play out before me.

...It was shattered when Validar blasted Cordelia back with a spear of dark lightning. Like a corrupted version of Thoron.

Blood splashed on my face. Her body crashed against the ground, and Cordelia let out a pained gasp, a wet breathy sound.

Validar straightened. "There. That takes care of that. Now for you, Outrealmer-"

Attack.

"Hmph. Slow."

My blade was knocked to the side.

"...I don't see why Lord Grima is so concerned. But a threat is a threat..."

Serious. Be serious.

I hadn't been serious.

I thought I was, but I wasn't.

Cordelia was lying on the ground behind me, dying.

I couldn't protect her.

Maribelle and Ricken had almost died.

I couldn't save them.

I had thought this was a story. I had thought that this was just a dream, a nightmare. That I was in one of those crappy self-insert stories, and that everything would go my way. After all, I was the protagonist, wasn't I? Powers as the plot demanded, plot armor. Things were going well, even if they had gone a bit awry.

The image I held in my head.

It broke.

It broke.

It _broke_.

I swung my blade. Again, it was avoided.

Weak. I was too weak.

Not serious.

I should have trained more.

I should have been more cautious.

I should have been determined to be able to protect them.

Validar easily dodged my attacks, moving around them all with a contemptuous ease. "Foolish boy. Fine."

He stepped back, darkness gathering in his hands again.

"Die."

That black lightning spear.

In a moment of clarity, I realized my situation.

Cordelia was directly behind me. If I dodged, she would be dead for sure, if she wasn't already-

No. She was alive. She had to be.

But... even if I wanted to, I couldn't.

Slow. Far too slow.

Arrogant. Delusional.

Not serious. Because I wasn't serious, it led to this.

I could have made more plans. Could have been more careful. Could have talked with Robin more to make sure things went well. Could have asked him to learn more about how I fought to avoid this scenario.

I didn't, because I wasn't serious. I still believed that this was just a dream. That this wasn't really happening to me. Because of that, because I was arrogant, because I was so _STUPID_ this was the end.

...I hate myself.

I hate my self that was so weak.

I hate my self that was so arrogant as to never bother learning more about this world.

I hate my self that couldn't save a girl in front of him, even if his life depended on it.

The black lightning spear filled my view.

Regret, anger, and rage filled my mind.

I rejected it. Rejected this weak self that couldn't even protect one person. Rejected this idiotic belief that everything would go well just because I was there.

But I couldn't do anything. I wasn't anyone special. I was just an ordinary person who had been thrown into this world. I wasn't a self insert. I wasn't a special snowflake. I wasn't even smart enough to learn more about why this had happened, or naive enough to at least enjoy it while I could.

I had strange powers, but they weren't mine. I had borrowed a name, so that I could be by their sides. But it looked like I was just a fake. A delusional person with ideals that lived only in my mind.

So this was the end for me, a pathetic excuse of a man that couldn't even save a single person.

My death was imminent. The inevitable conclusion of a fool.

Even so, I denied it.

A miracle. I needed a miracle.

I wasn't Emiya Shirou. I wanted to save people, but I didn't have any power to do so.

I wasn't Mark, the tactician. I wanted to protect them, but I didn't have the knowledge or skill to do so.

I wasn't even a hero, despite my delusions otherwise.

My hands were weak. My reach was so small so as to not even be able to protect the one in front of me, let alone all those I cared for.

I didn't have the ability to protect them, let alone myself, but I wanted a miracle to do otherwise.

Foolishly selfish. Delusional to the bitter end. Staring at death's door, I felt not fear, but denial.

_If I can obtain the power to save them..._

A meaningless prayer, a fervent wish.

_...I'll give my soul in exchange._

An act of desperation. The final hope of a man who had only regrets.

I died... and a Guardian was born.

"What-?"

Validar saw that I wasn't alive. His eyes widened in surprise, and then fear. "No... the contract!"

He swung his arm back, trying to cast another spell.

I raised my own arm in defiance.

-Pain. PAin. PAIN.

I felt my body burn up from the inside. Felt my blood boil as it evaporated from the heat it was generating.

An odd feeling of disassociation, of watching my body move on its own, of myself swinging my sword that was glowing with golden light.

"Excalibur."

A crack. For a moment, I saw the air distort, bend. An image overlapped my sword, one of something that was sacred, a miracle trained by the heart alone.

It passed, and then Validar was annihilated in a blast of golden light, along with everything behind him.

It hurt. It hurt. My mind and my body.

It hurt, but I persevered.

A crippling headache, like a vice clamped against my skull while a bomb exploded within. Pressure from inside and out threatening to drive me insane.

Through it, I recalled the name of the spell that could save her.

I walked over to Cordelia.

She was in bad shape, blood pooling and her face pale.

But she wasn't dead.

"Curaga."

Another crack, the air distorting, and the feeling of my heart racing, overclocking.

It settled, and then Cordelia was fine. The gaping hole in her chest was gone, as if it didn't exist.

-Pain. I couldn't breathe. My chest hurt, and my head felt like it was going to explode.

I calmed myself and took a slow breath, ignoring my body's protests.

It was fine. Cordelia was fine. I was fine.

Adjustments. My body was only adjusting.

Footsteps racing down the halls. Lucina.

She stared at me, her face deathly pale and took a step back. "Oh no... Uncle Mark, you...?"

The sound of more footsteps interrupted her, and the Shepherds came into view.

Seeing them all safe and sound, I smiled and let go of my fading consciousness.

"Mark!"

I heard Lyn call out, but by then I was too far gone.

* * *

><p>Voices.<p>

"So he did it after all."

They were unfamiliar.

"...I warned you that this would happen. His very presence..."

That one I knew. It was Naga.

"...No. You cannot have him. His soul belongs to us. He cannot sign a contract with this World."

A female voice, different from Naga's, and yet somehow familiar.

"You have no jurisdiction here, Alaya. Even if his origin is from Gaia, _he_ is not. Besides... such a miserable fool is needed in this chaotic new future."

A male voice, one I remembered hearing a long time ago. He was the one who had argued with Naga.

The sensation of being scrutinized.

"...I see. Yes, this is not he after all. Only a fragment, a copy at that."

I tried to open my eyes. This was something important. Something I needed to know.

"We'll leave him alone to combat the Destroyer and maintain the balance, Historian, but you will pay the consequences if he fails."

A snort, and the male voice spoke. "Of course I will. Now go along and do whatever you cosmic forces need to do."

The atmosphere lightened.

"...Man, what a mess this became. I didn't think it would get this chaotic. You really screwed things up, Wizard. But I suppose you signing that contract balances it out a bit."

What? Contract?

"This will be the last time I show up, you know? Since you actually finalized it, you're going to be the only one helping them. The Awakening, Naga... all of it won't be happening now. But I suppose if it's you... Anyway, good luck man. You're going to need it."

Wait, what are you-

"Be a bit more serious now, won't you? This isn't a dream, and you won't wake up if you die. Their lives are in your hands."

* * *

><p>I woke up with a start.<p>

A quick look around showed that it was the war room, and that I had been left leaning against a chair. It also showed that I wasn't alone.

Lyn was on my right, standing protectively by my side. She was the first to notice I was awake, and cast me an irritated look, though it turned to relief.

_Oops..._ I must have worried her. It _was_ a bit reckless to go off on my own when an assassination attempt was imminent...

Robin and Chrom were there as well, sitting at the head of the round war table. Emmeryn was by their side with a calm smile on her face.

But I didn't pay much attention to them. I didn't even pay attention to Lucina, who was standing in front of them without her Marth disguise.

No, my gaze was on the man standing next to Lucina, the one with startling white hair and an aged face.

He turned towards me with a bitter smile. "Well... you've gone and screwed everything up, haven't you?"

A familiar expression, one I had seen all too many times. No, not just the expression, but rather the face itself...

"...Crap."

Rufure... no, the future me let out a sigh. "Yeah... you really should have just kept sleeping that day out in the fields."

* * *

><p>AN: More shenanigans! Much angst, much drama, much foreshadow!

Ahaha, on a more serious note, this was pretty fun to write. Needed to take a break from my other stories and just get back into the flow of things, as I didn't have time to write as the holidays drew near. I've got today and tomorrow to do only that though, so hopefully it's enough time to get some updates out.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll see you in the next. Happy holidays!


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